Where All the Bad Nuts Go
by mattTheWriter072
Summary: Charlie has witnessed many fascinating, strange, and disturbing events while touring Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. However, when he hears that the nut room incinerator might be lit that day just moments before a certain spoiled brat falls down the garbage chute, he decides to do the unthinkable... (2005 version, rated T for mild language)
1. When Squirrels Attack

Disclaimer: I do not own anything from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory franchise or any characters associated with the franchise. All rights belong to Roald Dahl, Tim Burton, and Warner Bros. Pictures. This is not my intellectual property, and no financial gain is made from this nor will be sought. This is purely for entertainment purposes only. Most of the events and dialogue in the 1st and 2nd chapters are borrowed from the movie.

Chapter 1 - When Squirrels Attack

~Charlie's POV~

Today was a day I had been looking forward to ever since I first laid eyes on Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. My family, especially my grandpa Joe, always told me stories about the factory and Mr. Wonka for as long as I could remember. On every birthday, my family saved up all of their money to buy me a Wonka chocolate bar as a present.

As the year 2005 came around, little did I know that Willy Wonka would slip five Golden Tickets into five ordinary Wonka bars to allow five children to visit his factory on the first of February. The first winner was Augustus Gloop, a fat, greedy boy from Düsseldorf, Germany. The second winner was Veruca Salt, the spoiled daughter of a very wealthy family from Buckinghamshire, England. The third winner was Violet Beauregarde, a girl from Atlanta, Georgia, who not only had a black belt in karate, but she also held the world record for chewing a piece of gum for three months solid. The fourth winner was Mike Teavee, an eleven-year-old boy from Denver, Colorado, who was obsessed with watching television and playing violent video games. With a stroke of luck, I was the winner of the world's last Golden Ticket, and on the first of February, the first four winners and I arrived at the gates of Willy Wonka's factory.

I would have liked to say that the tour went smoothly, but Augustus Gloop, being the nonstop eating machine he was, fell into the chocolate river and was sucked up the pipe to the fudge boiler. Violet Beauregarde met her fate in the Inventing Room when she tried a stick of experimental gum, only to swell up and turn into a giant blueberry. Once we exited that room, there were now only three children left: Veruca Salt, Mike Teavee, and myself. Our next stop was the Nut Sorting Room.

The Nut Sorting Room was a large, circular room, dominated by a blue-and-white swirl on the floor that bordered a large hole in the center. The perimeter of the room was lined with no fewer than one-hundred blue stools, and the occupants of those stools were...

"Squirrels!" Veruca cried in delight.

"Yeah, squirrels," Mr. Wonka smiled. "These squirrels are specially trained to get the nuts out of shells." A network of white tubes that snaked down from the ceiling deposited one walnut at a time in front of each squirrel. I looked closer and I could see each squirrel sorting the good nuts from the bad ones.

"Why use squirrels?" Veruca's father inquired. "Why not use Oompa Loompas?"

"Because only squirrels can get the whole walnut out almost every single time," Mr. Wonka responded. "You see how they tap each one with their little knuckles to make sure it's not bad? Oh, look, look!" He excitedly pointed to one squirrel who was holding a walnut up to its ear, listening intently to the sound it made. "I think that one's got a bad nut!" Sure enough, the squirrel threw the nut over its shoulder, and it rolled towards the large hole in the floor before it fell in and disappeared.

"Daddy, I want a squirrel," Veruca demanded. "Get me one of those squirrels, I want one!"

 _Here we go again..._ I silently moaned. I knew that this would happen sooner than later.

Mr. Salt smiled at his daughter. "Veruca, dear, you have many marvelous pets."

Veruca frowned at her dad. "All I've got at home is one pony and two dogs and four cats and six bunny rabbits..." I exchanged looks with my grandpa Joe as Veruca rambled on and on, "...and a silly old hamster! _I WANT A SQUIRREL!"_

"Alright, pet," Mr. Salt said in a soothing tone. "Daddy'll get you a squirrel just as soon as he possibly can."

"But I don't want any old squirrel!" Veruca said. "I want a _trained_ squirrel!"

"Very well," her dad sighed as he took out his wallet. "Mr. Wonka? How much do you want for one of these squirrels? Name your price." Veruca smiled at Mr. Wonka, showing her pearly white teeth to try to impress him.

"They're not for sale," Mr. Wonka told him. "She can't have one."

Veruca's smile instantly turned into a frown, and then a glare as she whipped her head around towards her father.

"Daddy," she said in a very demanding tone.

"I'm sorry, darling," Mr. Wonka sighed, and I was astonished once I realized he was giving a perfect impression of Mr. Salt's voice. "Mr. Wonka's being unreasonable."

"If you won't get me a squirrel," Veruca said nastily, "I'll get one myself!" With that, she ducked under the gate and swiftly walked down the stairs to the floor of the Nut Sorting Room.

"Veruca," Mr. Salt warned, but she completely ignored him as she continued walking across the floor.

"Little girl," Mr. Wonka warned as well, but to no avail. Veruca still didn't pay any attention, too focused on deciding which squirrel to grab. The squirrels all stopped what they were doing and stared at her with their tiny black eyes.

"Veruca, come back here at once!" Her father's voice was much more stern this time, but she continued to ignore him. I gasped and held my breath when Veruca's gaze fell upon one particular squirrel at the back of the room.

"Don't touch that squirrel's nuts!" Mr. Wonka cried as she started making a beeline towards it. "It'll make him crazy!"

I was actually getting quite worried about the spoiled brat. Augustus and Violet both got into trouble because they didn't heed Mr. Wonka's advice, and now Veruca seemed to be destined for the same fate as the other two. We all watched with bated breath as she stopped before the squirrel, who didn't look very eager to become Veruca's new pet.

"I'll have YOU," she proclaimed as she began to reach for it, and then...

In a split-second, the squirrel leaped right onto her, and ninety-nine other squirrels raced towards her in a flash of brown fur. Veruca was screaming and jumping and desperately struggling to fight them off, but she was quickly overwhelmed by the sheer number of squirrels. I frantically looked around at everyone else, and their faces shared the same horrified expression as Veruca when the squirrels succeeded in bringing her down to the floor, where she landed flat on her back.

"Veruca!" Mr. Salt cried, desperately shaking the locked gate. Mr. Wonka dug out a keyring that contained at least fifty different keys, and he tried each one.

"Nope, not that one," he said as he tried each key, all to no avail. "Nope!"

"Daddy!" Veruca cried as the furry creatures continued to swarm around her. The squirrels caught hold of her, and her father was horror-struck as twenty-five pinned down her right arm, another twenty-five pinned down her left arm, twenty-five more pinned down her right leg, and twenty-four pinned down her left leg.

"Daddy, I want them to stop!" Veruca wailed. The remaining squirrel, who was the same one that Veruca tried to claim as her own, climbed up onto her chest and placed its front paws on her forehead. Veruca tilted her head upward to look it straight in the eyes. With its knuckles, it tapped her on the forehead three times, and the hollow sound echoed all around the room.

"What are they doing?" I asked, with panic clearly showing in my voice.

"They're testing her to see if she's a bad nut," Mr. Wonka replied. The squirrel who tested Veruca made a squawking noise that filled me with dread from head to toe. "Oh my goodness," Mr. Wonka said quietly. "She is a bad nut after all."

At once, all one-hundred squirrels began to carry Veruca towards the black abyss in the center of the room. The girl's arms and legs were splayed out like a starfish as she helplessly screamed, kicked, and wiggled, all to no avail. Two-hundred tiny paws held her down and she had no hope of escaping whatsoever.

"Veruca!" Mr. Salt cried.

"Daddy!"

Mr. Salt turned towards Mr. Wonka in desperation. "Where are they taking her?" I looked at both of them, and I was desperate for an answer as well.

"Where all the other bad nuts go, to the garbage chute," Mr. Wonka calmly replied. He was intently watching the scene unfold before him as if it were a movie.

"Where does the chute go?" Mr. Salt asked in a very panicked tone.

"To the incinerator," Mr. Wonka said coolly, with a hint of a mischievous smile. Mr. Salt gasped in horror, and I was sure he was now plotting to sue the master chocolatier for millions of pounds. "But don't worry, we only light it on Tuesdays."

"Today _is_ Tuesday," Mike Teavee said in a slightly bored tone.

"Well, there's always a chance they decided not to light it today," Mr. Wonka smiled.

Time instantly slowed to a crawl. _I may have idly watched Augustus and Violet as they were suffering,_ I thought, _but Veruca could literally be burned alive in that incinerator!_ My heart was racing, and before I could consider the consequences, I had already threaded myself through the gate just like Veruca did, leaping and bounding down the stairs two, sometimes three, at a time. I didn't care if I would be one of the rotten people as a result. All I cared about was making sure that Veruca wouldn't die a fiery death, even if she was a bad nut.

"Charlie!" My grandpa Joe gasped. Like Veruca before me, I completely ignored the adults' warnings as I sprinted across the blue-and-white floor towards her screaming form. Her blue eyes, which were wide with fear, helplessly watched me as the squirrels continued to carry her closer and closer to the garbage chute.

"Veruca!" I exclaimed as I leaned towards her and extended my right hand. In response, she frantically tried to reach for it with her left arm, but the squirrels wouldn't let her arm budge. Only when she began to slide into the mouth of the chute did they let go, and I seized that opportunity to grab onto her arm now that it was free...

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my story, even if it was nothing more than a recap with a plot twist in the end. Now I'd like to hear from you guys! What do YOU think should happen to Charlie and Veruca next? (Please keep your ideas K+ or T rated. No M-rated stuff since I do not write that kind of material.) Please comment!**

 **Update: Chapter 2 is almost done. It's just in the editing process and it will be up in a few days! Stay tuned! :)**


	2. Lights, Camera, Action!

Chapter 2 - Lights, Camera, Action!

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back with a new chapter! Sorry about the long wait, but that's what happens when you're working at a call center as well as being a musician and a writer on top of that. It wasn't very easy to squeeze in the time to write, but the wait is over!**

 **First and foremost, thank you so much for the kind reviews, everyone. They really meant a lot to me, especially the compliments I received from Turrislucidus. As for suggestions:**

 **verucasaltqueen, I will incorporate your suggestion later on in the story, perhaps as part of a dream or flashback. (Oh, and good luck on your exams! I'm sure you'll do great.)**

 **Sorry, Linkwonka88, but the story will take a different turn from here on.**

 **StoryDelight, your wish will be granted in this chapter, for the most part.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'll think about reuniting everyone a few chapters later, maybe in chapter 6 or 7 depending on how the story goes from here on.**

 **Guest, just keep reading, and keep reviewing! So without further ado, on with the story! :)**

"Don't worry, I got you," I said to a terrified Veruca just as my hand closed around hers, and I grabbed her other hand as well. Even though the British girl was pretty much the same size and weight as myself, I was struggling to lift her out of the garbage chute in what seemed like a game of tug-of-war between man and gravity. To make things worse, one-hundred squirrels were scurrying all around me like flies, and I feared that one of them could nudge me from behind at any second. The smell that emanated from the chute was very strong and I almost wanted to turn away, but I never gave up.

Suddenly, the squirrels scampered off towards the stairs that led up to the balcony, just as I heard the gate opening with a click. Mike Teavee and his father frantically sprinted down the stairs towards us, and the squirrels greeted them by attempting to leap onto their chests as they did with Veruca.

"I'll distract the squirrels," Mike's father instructed his son just as a squirrel bounced off his right calf, "and you can help Charlie."

"Got it," Mike affirmed. He managed to dodge most of the squirrels by nimbly sidestepping and jumping before he grabbed onto my shoulders from behind. With some effort, we began to pull Veruca out of the garbage chute while Mr. Teavee distracted the squirrels in an attempt to keep them away from us.

I was still holding tightly onto Veruca, and with Mike's help, I finally managed to free her from the garbage chute. Much to my relief, she looked completely unharmed. While I carefully helped her to stand upright, Mike and his father gently picked up each squirrel and placed them back on their stools. Eventually, the other squirrels got the message and they scrambled back to their workstations, but their beady black eyes were still intently watching us.

Still holding onto Veruca's hand, we sprinted towards the stairs and I gestured for her to go first. Without so much as a nod, she scrambled back up the stairs to safety along with Mike and his father, but this time I was not so lucky. Without any warning and seemingly no reason, the relentless squirrels decided to jump off their stools again, racing towards me this time. They attacked me in overwhelming numbers, leaping up onto nearly every area of my body that they could reach. Seconds later, the squirrels threw me off balance and I landed flat on my back.

Unlike Veruca, I was actually enjoying myself as the cute, furry creatures scurried all over my body before pinning down my arms and legs. The same squirrel who tested Veruca climbed up onto my chest and danced this way and that before lightly tapping me on the forehead. It cocked its head for a few seconds, and then all of the squirrels suddenly leaped off of me and scampered back to their stools, where they resumed their task of shelling walnuts as if nothing had ever happened.

"Well," Mr. Wonka announced, "it seems like Charlie's a good nut." Most of the group then left the room except for me and Veruca. I clambered back onto my feet and I ran up the stairs to find her kneeling on all fours. She was sweating and panting heavily, but appeared fine otherwise.

"Veruca, are you okay?" I asked her, holding out my hand. She took it and I carefully helped her to stand upright.

"Yes, I'm...fine," she barely managed to whisper once I let go. "Thank you for saving me, Charlie." She smiled at me, but there was something about her smile that seemed more friendly, as if she had...changed, and for the better. I warmly returned her smile as she curtsied to me and ran towards her father, who was waiting with the others in the corridor.

"Daddy, don't worry, I'm okay," Veruca reassured him. "But after what I've just went through, I don't want a squirrel anymore, especially not a trained squirrel."

"What about the tour, though?" I asked her.

"I'm the rightful winner of the grand prize," Veruca declared, "and I'll do whatever it takes to get it."

 _Wait,_ I thought, _Veruca said she will do what it takes to get the prize instead of her dad? That's a little different. Maybe she really did get something out of her "friendship" with Violet._ I looked at her for a few seconds and said, "Good luck."

Once I was reunited with my grandpa Joe, the door to the Nut Sorting Room closed behind us, and I heard Veruca breathe a sigh of relief now that the squirrels were out of her sight. Unlike Augustus, Violet, and their guardians, Veruca and Mr. Salt still remained in the group.

"Well, let's keep on truckin'," Mr. Wonka said before leading us further down the corridor. It wasn't long before we reached a set of elevator doors, which were made of glass. Mr. Wonka pressed a button on the wall and with a short ping, the doors smoothly parted for us to enter.

"I don't know why I didn't think of this earlier," Mr. Wonka said. "The elevator is by far the most efficient way to get around the factory." As we all piled in, my eyes widened in amazement as I gazed up and down the right-side wall of the elevator. The entire wall was covered with hundreds of buttons.

"There can't be this many floors," Mike stated as he scanned all of the buttons.

"How do you know, Mr. Smarty Pants?" Mr. Wonka scoffed. The doors closed and I wondered just how an elevator made of glass could be strong enough to hold three children and four adults. "And this isn't just an ordinary up-and-down elevator, by the way," he continued. "This elevator can go sideways, longways, slantways, and any other ways that you can think of! You just press any button, and whoosh, you're off!" He pushed one and the elevator pinged before it suddenly jolted to life. The sudden G-forces sent us crashing to the floor in a heap, and I found myself uncomfortably sandwiched between Mike and Mr. Wonka. Just as I tried to free myself, the elevator quickly halted before it dropped straight down, and by this point I had earned a couple of bruises on my left arm.

The elevator shot forwards, and it travelled through a short, lighted tunnel before we emerged into a new area.

"Oh, look, look!" Mr. Wonka exclaimed. "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Fudge Mountain!" Everyone stood up and my jaw dropped as we passed what looked like an enormous mountain peak, complete with snow. Several Oompa Loompas were busy chipping blocks of frozen fudge off of it, and once they noticed us, they turned around and waved at us before they went back to work.

In the next room, a number of genetically-engineered pink sheep were waiting to be sheared by Oompa Loompas. Their thick coats were sheared off before the "wool" was sucked into spiralling tubes. It was then spun into what I could only guess would be cotton candy.

"Oh!" Mr. Wonka began, but then he stopped and looked away. "I'd rather not talk about this one," he whispered.

"Daddy, I want one of those," Veruca declared, pointing to one of the sheep.

"Not now," Mr. Salt told her. "Didn't you hear what Mr. Wonka just said? Besides, you learned the hard way when the squirrels attacked you."

"But I _want_ one!" Veruca yelled and stomped her foot in anger. I tried my best to ignore her as the elevator passed through another short tunnel.

The next area looked like an enormous hospital room. I frantically scanned the room to see if Augustus and Violet were there, but they were nowhere in sight.

"This is the Puppet Hospital and Burns Center," Mr. Wonka announced. "It's...relatively new." An Oompa Loompa doctor wheeled a gurney into a corner of the room, and I noticed that its occupant was one of the puppets that caught fire from Wonka's welcome ceremony.

We then entered a dark shaft and the elevator suddenly stopped again. Veruca slammed into me from behind before we began spiraling downwards.

"Ah, the administration offices!" Mr. Wonka exclaimed just as we stopped in front of a female Oompa Loompa, who looked up at us from her typewriter. "Hello, Doris!" She waved to us, and we all slammed into the wall again as the elevator shot backwards into a room that looked like a sort of firing range. There were deafening explosions and dazzling fireworks all around us. Oompa Loompas were loading super-sized Gobstoppers into cannons, which launched the hard candies into targets at the far end of the room. Others were seated behind large Gatling guns, which fired smaller Gobstoppers into the targets as well. I didn't even know where to look, even as one of the big Gobstoppers whizzed just above us before hitting a bull's-eye.

"Why is everything here completely pointless?" Mike suddenly asked.

"Candy doesn't have to have a point," I softly replied. "That's why it's candy." Mr. Wonka smiled at me and nodded.

Mike glared at me and shouted, "It's stupid! Candy is a waste of time!"

Mr. Wonka suddenly gasped before he went completely blank, probably because of another flashback. I quickly glanced at Veruca, but she had all of her attention focused on the light show outside the elevator. I decided to watch the action as well, although from time to time I looked over my shoulder at Mr. Wonka, who was still lost in his horrible childhood memories. After almost five minutes, the poor man finally returned to reality just as Mike demanded that he wanted to pick a room of his own choosing.

"Go ahead," Mr. Wonka smiled. Mike reached up to press a button labeled: TELEVISION ROOM. I was not surprised at all by his choice as the elevator lurched forward and sped through one last lighted tunnel.

About fifteen seconds later, the elevator doors slid open and we all stepped out into a large room that was blindingly bright. Literally everything in this room was about as white as white can get: the floor, the walls, the ceiling, even the Oompa Loompas' suits.

"Put these on, quick, and don't take them off whatever you do!" Mr. Wonka instructed as he handed us six pairs of dark glasses before donning a pair of his own. "This light could burn your eyeballs right out of your skulls, and we certainly don't want that now, do we?"

Now that I could see comfortably with the glasses on, I took a good look around. In the center of the room was a large white platform situated beneath the opening of a glass tube. An enormous camera and an array of LED lights flanked either side of that tube. Way off at the other end of the room stood a white television, and the Oompa Loompa sitting in front of it was constantly changing channels.

"This is the testing room for my very latest and greatest invention, Television Chocolate!" Mr. Wonka proudly announced as we walked around the massive room. "One day it occurred to me: hey, if television can break up a photograph into millions and millions of tiny little pieces, and send them whizzing through the air and reassemble it on the other end, then why can't I do the same thing with chocolate? Why can't I send a real bar of chocolate through the television, all ready to be eaten?"

Veruca frowned and put her hands on her hips. "That sounds weird."

"Sounds impossible," Mike's father said pessimistically.

"It is impossible!" Mike yelled. "You don't understand anything about science. First off, there's a difference between waves and particles. DUH!" As Mike continued with his speech, Mr. Wonka looked rather disgusted, as if he was the one standing above the Nut Sorting Room garbage chute instead of me. Even Veruca was starting to become annoyed.

"MUMBLER!" Mr. Wonka suddenly shouted, nearly making me jump a foot in the air. "Seriously, I can't understand a single word you're saying! Okay, I shall now send a bar of chocolate from one end of the room to the other by television. Bring in the chocolate!"

At once, six Oompa Loompas walked into the room. The Wonka Nutty Crunch Surprise bar they were carrying was so big that I bet it would have taken Augustus at least a half-hour to eat, if not longer. They walked up the stairs and carefully set it down on the platform.

"It's gotta be real big," Mr. Wonka continued, "cause you know how on TV you can film a regular-size man and he comes out looking this tall?" He spread his thumb and forefinger about four inches apart. "Same basic principle."

Mr. Wonka pushed a big red button on the control panel, and the entire chocolate bar began to levitate off the platform towards the glass tube. Our mouths fell wide open, and Mike was completely dumbfounded as he took this all in with his own eyes. The LED flash began to glow a light blue color as an Oompa Loompa maneuvered the enormous camera into place, focusing the lens onto the chocolate bar. The platform itself was rising towards the tube as well, and in a matter of seconds, the oversized Wonka bar was floating in zero-gravity, completely sealed inside the tube. We all stared upwards as the camera moved into its final position, the flash went off in a burst of white light, and the bar completely disappeared!

"It's gone!" I cried.

"Told ya," Mr. Wonka said as he smiled at me. "And that bar of chocolate is now rushing through the air above our heads in a million tiny little pieces. Come over here," he said as he excitedly ran towards the television. "Come on, come!" We all rushed to join him as he stared intently at the screen, which showed a group of apes clambering over a landscape made up of large rocks.

"Watch the screen!" Mr. Wonka cried in excitement, his smile growing wider and wider each second. "Here it comes...oh, look!" Slowly, a rectangular shape faded onto the screen, and after a few seconds, a "full-size" Wonka bar appeared, complete with its bright-red wrapper.

Mr. Wonka prodded Mike with his cane. "Take it!"

"It's just a picture on a screen," Mike replied, not believing him one bit.

"Scaredy cat," Mr. Wonka scoffed before he turned towards me. "You take it. Go on, just reach out and grab it." I hesitantly walked towards the television, and I knew that six pairs of eyes were staring at me like laser beams as I reached towards the screen. I gasped as my outstretched hand broke through the screen, and I carefully closed my fingers around the bar before removing it from the TV. I turned it over in my hands. It was indeed a real chocolate bar.

"Holy buckets," my grandpa Joe murmured in disbelief.

"Eat it," Mr. Wonka urged. "Go on, it'll be delicious." I proceeded to tear off the wrapper and foil. "It's the same bar," he reassured me, "it's just gotten a little smaller on the journey, that's all."

I broke the bar into four pieces: one for myself, one for my grandpa, one for Mike, and one for Veruca. The delicious, nutty flavor exploded all over my tongue as I bit into my piece. "It's great!"

"It's a miracle," my grandpa said just as he finished chewing his piece.

"It's a TV dinner!" Mike exclaimed. Beneath his pun, I was certain that he was thinking of all of the exciting possibilities that this technology could be used for.

"Unbelievable," Veruca softly whispered, apparently too stunned to say anything else.

"So imagine you're sitting at home watching television," Mr. Wonka said, "and suddenly a commercial will flash onto the screen. A voice will say, 'Wonka's chocolates are the best in the world! If you don't believe us, try one for yourself.' And you simply reach out, and take it! How about that?"

"So can you send other things, say like, breakfast cereal?" Mike's dad asked.

Mr. Wonka frowned. "Do you have any idea what breakfast cereal's made of? It's those little curly wooden shavings that you find in pencil sharpeners."

"But could you send it by television if you wanted to?" I asked him.

"Course you could," he answered.

"Can you send caviar?" Veruca asked as if her intention was to boast about how wealthy her family was.

"Of course," Mr. Wonka replied. "I don't see how very many people would eat that stuff, though, cause it is quite disgusting." Veruca grimaced at him in response.

"What about people?" Mike inquired.

Now Mr. Wonka looked truly disgusted. "Well, why would I wanna send a person? They don't taste very good at all."

"Don't you realize what you've invented? It's a teleporter!" Mike shouted. "It's the most important invention in the history of the world, and all you care about is chocolate."

"Calm down, Mike, I think Mr. Wonka knows what he's talking about," his father said.

"No, he doesn't. He has no idea," Mike sneered and then he turned towards Veruca and I. "You think he's a genius, but he's an idiot! But I'm not."

He gritted his teeth and sprinted towards the central platform, jumping over one Oompa Loompa before knocking two others out of his way as if he were a tank.

"Hey, little boy," Mr. Wonka warned as Mike rushed toward the control panel, "don't push my button!" And that's precisely what Mike did as he jumped onto the controls and stood on the button to activate it. He vaulted himself through the air and landed on the platform, which began to rise. Mr. Teavee ran as fast as he could towards the control panel, and his jaw dropped in horror as his son reached the point of no return. The lights began to glow and the camera moved into position. As the platform rose higher and higher, gravity let go of Mike, and he struck various poses in midair before waving to his dad, all the while grinning from ear to ear.

The TV-obsessed boy was now sealed inside the glass tube. Veruca, who clearly wanted another potential winner out of her sight, sprinted towards the control panel and slammed the button down with her hand. With a blinding flash, Mike Teavee suddenly vanished into thin air.

Mr. Teavee's jaw dropped and he stared at the now-empty platform. "He's gone," he whispered.

"Let's go check the television, see what we get," Mr. Wonka said as he ran towards it. He, Mr. Teavee, Mr. Salt, Grandpa Joe, Veruca, and I held our breath as we crowded around the screen, waiting for him to appear. "I sure hope no part of him gets left behind."

"What do you mean?" Mr. Teavee asked.

"Uh...well, sometimes only half of the little pieces find their way through," Mr. Wonka replied. "If you had to choose only one half of your son, which one would it be?"

Mr. Teavee snapped, "What kind of a question is that?"

"No need to snap, it's just a question," Mr. Wonka mumbled. He gestured to the Oompa Loompa sitting in front of the TV. "Try every channel, I'm starting to feel a little anxious."

The Oompa Loompa rapidly began to switch through several TV channels, including a news channel, a cooking show, and a rock concert. Sure enough, even as the surroundings changed, one figure constantly remained on the screen, and that was Mike Teavee. All the while, the Oompa Loompas were singing their song about him, which was in a hard-rock genre.

Mike was too preoccupied with the virtual world he was in to notice us outside the TV. I, on the other hand, wasn't sure whether to watch the TV or to watch the Oompa Loompas behind us performing their dance routine as they sang.

Before long, the scenes that unfolded on the TV became more and more violent, and the show suddenly ended as the news anchorman squashed Mike beneath his documents like a bug!

"Ew, somebody grab him," Mr. Wonka said, and Mike's dad reached into the TV and pulled his four-inch tall son out. Mr. Wonka tried to assure him that Mike was unharmed and well, and then the little figure who was pinched in Mr. Teavee's hand spoke.

"Just put me back in the other way!" I actually had to stifle a laugh upon hearing Mike's ridiculously high-pitched voice. Veruca was smirking at him.

"There is no other way," Mr. Wonka said to him. "It's tele _vision_ , not tele _phone_. There's quite a difference."

"And what exactly do you propose to do about it?" Mr. Teavee asked quietly, but I could still hear the tension in his voice.

Mr. Wonka thought for a moment. "I don't know...young men are extremely springy, they stretch like mad," he said. Suddenly, an idea came to him and he dramatically gasped. "Let's go put him in the taffy puller!"

"Taffy puller?!" Mike's dad spluttered in horror. I was sure that his eyes were as round as saucers beneath those glasses.

"Hey, that was my idea," Mr. Wonka said before gesturing to the Oompa Loompa who had been changing the channels. The tiny worker stood up from his seat as Mr. Wonka told him, "I want you to take Mr. Teavee and his..." he glanced at the four-inch tall child, "little boy, up to the taffy puller, 'kay? Stretch him out." The Oompa Loompa nodded and he led the Teavees out of the room.

Now that Mr. Teavee and his miniature son were gone, only Veruca and I remained, along with our respective guardians.

"There's still so much left to see," Mr. Wonka said as he led the four of us out of the Television Room and back to the Great Glass Elevator. We all removed our protective glasses and placed them into a bin before he asked: "Now, how many children are left?"

"Mr. Wonka," I quietly said as I glanced at Veruca, "we're the only children left." Grandpa Joe and Mr. Salt exchanged looks as well.

"You mean, you're the only ones left?" Mr. Wonka asked.

"Yes," I nodded and stared at his violet eyes, which were darting back and forth between me and Veruca.

"Well, it isn't quite over yet, because, of course, I still need to decide on who will be the winner," he said. "Therefore, I shall test the two of you, and put you both through some extra challenges to see who comes out on top."

"You were planning all of this yourself, weren't you?" Mr. Salt seethed, pointing an accusing finger at Mr. Wonka. "You just stood and watched while Augustus was sucked up the pipe in the Chocolate Room. You did absolutely nothing to save Violet when she swelled up into a blueberry. You were using the wrong set of keys on purpose just so that you could see my little Veruca fall down that garbage chute! You didn't do anything! Charlie had to run out and rescue her! You will pay for this, Wonka! Mark my words, I will sue you!"

"Please, he's not who you think he is!" Grandpa Joe defended. "I used to work for Mr. Wonka, you know, and he was such an amazing person to work for."

"Remember, I'm a CEO and the owner of a nut factory," Mr. Salt growled, "so I know a thing or two about how businesses should be run. It was painfully obvious that Wonka wanted Charlie to win, because he never even tried to save the others!"

"Stop it!" I screamed. "Please, just let it go. No need to argue." I sighed and looked at Mr. Wonka. "Now, what do we do?"

Mr. Wonka knelt down to our height and calmly replied, "Go to the Great Glass Elevator, and you will find one button right in the middle that has a gold border around it. Just press it, okay? Good luck, you two."

I turned around to face my grandpa. "Don't worry, I'll see you when the challenge is over," I reassured him as he wrapped his arms tightly around me. Veruca hugged her father as well and she whispered something in his ear before they let go. Grandpa Joe also released me, and I walked towards the elevator with Veruca.

I pressed the button on the wall, and the elevator pinged as the doors opened. The doors slid shut as we crossed the threshold, and I turned to see the three adults waving goodbye to us. Mr. Wonka even removed his black top hat and bowed his head down slightly before putting it back on.

"So, shall we?" I asked Veruca, who nervously smiled and nodded back at me. I found the gold-rimmed button and pressed my finger against it.

The button was labeled: ?

 **Author's note: And now the story shall truly begin! I really hope you enjoyed reading the second chapter, even though it was a long one. Now, time for an important question: where should the Great Glass Elevator transport Charlie and Veruca? What new adventures and challenges should t** **he two children experience in the next few chapters? Let me know in the comments!**

 **Update: Chapter 3 is in progress. I came up with what I think should be a really good general plot for the rest of the story, and I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am! Stay tuned! :)**


	3. No Way Out

Chapter 3 - No Way Out

 **Author's note: Hello, readers! I'm back with the next chapter in the story, but first I must point out a flaw behind Television Chocolate. Even if the basic technology existed, I don't know how that would work in today's day and age, since nearly all TV's are flat-panel these days, and lots of people also watch TV on their phones and tablets. How are you supposed to reach in and grab a Wonka bar from there? Just curious. Now, time to acknowledge your reviews:**

 **Guest (I think that's you, verucasaltqueen), thank you very much for the compliment. I hope you'll enjoy the third chapter in my story.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I just HAD to include that since I've always believed that Mr. Wonka had everything planned out beforehand. Plus, I just thought that a little argument between Veruca's rotten father and the greatest candy maker in the world would spice things up a bit. As for your suggestions, I'll consider them, but I probably won't include them all. I'm sorry if it seems like I focused on Mike more than Veruca, but then again, Chapter 2 was his part of the story. Don't worry, for the next little while it's just Charlie and Veruca.**

 **TheFangirlArmy, I'm sure that at least some romance will blossom between Charlie and Veruca as the story continues, but don't worry, it will not evolve into anything inappropriate. I'm not that kind of writer!**

 **sad sabrin, your wish has been granted with a new chapter! Now, on with the story!**

This elevator ride was even crazier than the last. Most of the ride was entirely in the dark, and Veruca and I were thrown around like rag dolls with each and every change in direction. A few minutes later, the elevator finally slowed down and a shaft of light pierced the darkness before it stopped. Looking through the doors, we found ourselves in a familiar-looking room filled with green grass, candy apple trees, marshmallow mushrooms, a chocolate river...

"Is it just me, or are we back in the Chocolate Room?" Veruca asked as we shakily got back to our feet. My head was throbbing with pain from all the G-forces that we experienced on the journey. I was starting to like this method of transportation a little bit less now.

"I think so," I replied a few moments later just before the elevator doors slid open. "Wait, this was the first room we visited after we entered the factory. That means we could just leave through the main entrance! Come on!" Ignoring the pain in my head and most of my joints, I sprinted across the meadow towards the massive entrance doors, and Veruca trailed closely behind. Once I reached the doors, I noticed a tiny keyhole near the bottom, but other than that, I didn't see any way that they could be opened.

"We're locked inside!" I gasped. "I never saw any other doors in the entrance hall, so that means we have to find out where the key is."

"Great," Veruca moaned. "And I thought the Nut Room was bad enough. Now what?"

"Let's try the elevator, and see if we can find any other rooms," I said, trying my best to stay optimistic. I grabbed Veruca's hand and we ran back towards the elevator, but I noticed something unusual right away: the doors did not automatically close since we first entered the Chocolate Room. They were still wide open. I tried pressing the gold-rimmed button, and the elevator never responded, not even with a ding. I pushed it again. Nothing. Panicking, I started pushing random buttons, and still the elevator never responded.

"What is going on?" I asked, trying to figure out what happened. I decided to look closer at the question mark symbol on the gold button. To my dismay, I never knew at the time that there was a vertical line running through the dot at the bottom of the question mark. I not only told the elevator to go to a random room; I also told it to completely shut itself down, and I didn't see any way to restart it.

"So the elevator doesn't work, and the pink boat that took us to the Inventing Room is nowhere in sight," I said gloomily. "The only way out that I can think of is either swimming in the chocolate river or looking for any other doors along the sides of the river."

"There's no way I'm swimming in that river!" Veruca shouted hotly. "I know that Daddy has the money to buy me anything I want, but out of my four mink coats, this one is my favorite and I don't want to ruin it."

"Then we'll have to go by foot," I said, causing Veruca to moan slightly. I smiled and looked into her light-blue eyes, and her expression softened a bit.

"All right," she said before letting out a sigh. "Let's go, then."

Together, we walked across the meadow and over the bridge that crossed the chocolate river before approaching the tunnel at the end of the Chocolate Room. To Veruca's relief, there was a narrow walkway beside the chocolate river, which led to a smaller door just off to the right. I opened the door and let Veruca go first. I followed her into a long, straight corridor which seemed to stretch on for miles.

In stark contrast to the rest of the factory, this corridor looked rather bare and utilitarian. The floor and walls were made out of concrete, and a series of LED's on the ceiling bathed the area in a soft blue light. Other than the sound of our footsteps echoing off of every surface, the corridor was eerily silent. We walked side by side without saying a word for nearly five minutes before Veruca finally broke the silence.

"Charlie, I'm just curious, how exactly did you find your Golden Ticket? From whatever I saw on TV, you only get one candy bar a year."

Without any hesitation, I proceeded to tell her the whole story, including the smaller details such as how my father lost his job, the hopelessness I felt when the final ticket was found by the Russian boy (which turned out to be a fake), and how I found a ten-dollar bill sticking up out of a snowbank so that I could buy one more Wonka bar, which I didn't know would contain the world's last Golden Ticket.

"You really must be lucky to be here, then," Veruca said once I finished. For the first time since the start of the tour, I thought I heard a trace of empathy in her voice. I opened my mouth to respond, but I quickly shut it since I couldn't think of anything to say. Instead, I warmly smiled at her and I held out my hand. She took it without any hesitation.

As we continued down the corridor, the grinding and whirring noise of machinery became very apparent. Finally, we reached a set of steel double doors that bore red horizontal stripes and the words: DANGER! KEEP OUT!

 **Author's note: I'm sorry that this chapter was so short. I just thought that this would be a good place to end it, but don't worry, I can assure you that the next one will be MUCH longer! Until then, feel free to comment and review. (Actually, don't, because your reviews took up almost a quarter of this chapter! Just kidding, please leave your thoughts! I'd appreciate it!)**

 **Update: Chapter 4 is in progress, and although similar plot lines have been done before, I thought it would be fun if Charlie and Veruca could explore some of the various candy-making rooms in their search for the missing key. I'd gladly accept any ideas, but I can't guarantee that I'll be including them all. Also, Chapter 4 will be relatively short (I do apologize for that), and I think that each subsequent chapter will be of a shorter length as I will be including maybe one or two events per chapter. I hope you'll be okay with that.**


	4. The Search Begins

Chapter 4 - The Search Begins

 **Author's note: Hello, everyone! I'm back with the next chapter in my story, and it's time for Charlie and Veruca to begin their mission! First, I must - you guessed it - acknowledge your reviews! (By the way, my story now has more than 1,000 views! Thank you so much, everyone.)**

 **dragonserpent18, thanks for the compliment! And who knows, a certain gum-chewing girl just might make her presence known soon...**

 **verucasaltqueen, you truly made me laugh when I first read your review about how I portrayed Veruca! You'll see more of that as the story progresses, don't worry.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I will implement your suggestions soon, but I think most of them are more suitable for when the five children are reunited. So don't be disappointed if your suggestions don't appear right away. They will eventually.**

 **Guest, I actually had that idea in my own head already before I started writing this chapter! I guess great minds really do think alike. You asked for it, and you got it, so keep reading! Now, on with the story! :)**

I was never a person who would consider breaking any rules, so it came as no surprise that I felt uneasy upon reading the warning on the doors in front of me. _On second thought, I technically broke the rules by invading the Nut Room, but Veruca broke them first and I only went in to save her,_ I thought, _and so did Mike and his father, who were innocent until Mike broke the rules in the Television Chocolate Room._

"I'm not so sure about this, Veruca," I said nervously. In response, she slapped me hard on the back. "Ow!" I cried, rubbing the spot where she hit. "What was that for?"

Veruca glowered at me. "Grow up, Chuck," she hissed. "We're on a mission, and that key could be literally anywhere." Without any hesitation, she pushed open the massive double doors. "Ladies first," she said before stepping over the threshold. I quickly followed her in just before the doors closed behind us. In this room, a plethora of conveyor belts and machines were constantly churning out Wonka bars. For several seconds, I stared in awe at how the machines worked together in sync to produce my favorite treats. I could have stayed there for hours, but Veruca and I knew that we were tasked with finding one thing and one thing only. With that in mind, I reluctantly led the way across a narrow catwalk before reaching another door, letting Veruca go first after it opened. We strolled through another concrete corridor (which, thankfully, wasn't nearly as long as the previous one) before we came to yet another door, but this one was large and round. _Large and round..._

"Wait a minute," I said to Veruca as my face practically lit up. "We saw these round doors by the chocolate river, and they led to various rooms, remember?" She nodded in response before I continued. "I think this means that we just might find our bearings again, so hopefully we can continue looking! Come on!" I turned a large vault-like knob and the door swung open.

"Yes!" I exclaimed with delight as I looked around the area. The doors were round, and each door was labeled with glowing letters that spelled out the names of the rooms they led to, but there was no chocolate river here. An illuminated sign in front of us read: OTHER CONFECTIONERY, RAW INGREDIENTS, AND SUPPLIES CORRIDOR. Still, I was relieved that we were now in an area of the factory that looked somewhat recognizable.

"We'd better start searching," I eagerly said as I scanned the first few doors we walked past: LAFFY TAFFY, BOTTLE CAPS, PIXY STIX, NERDS, LUMINOUS LOLLIPOPS, DREAM CANDIES, and ICE CAVE.

"We'll save the Nerds for Mike," Veruca grinned. "He'd be right at home in there."

"I think we should try this room first," I suggested, pointing to the Laffy Taffy room. Veruca agreed, and I pushed open the door before we walked inside.

We were greeted by a chorus of laughter from the Oompa Loompas working there. They were sitting in front of a large machine which manufactured the candies, laughing nonstop into microphones that were connected to the machine. Several screens positioned in front of their faces displayed jokes and funny video clips to keep the laughter going. The Laffy Taffy candies spilled out of the machine and onto a conveyor belt, already wrapped and ready to be packaged into boxes for distribution around the world.

"So that's how they make Laffy Taffy," I said in awe. "Of course..."

"Don't tell me you're surprised," Veruca said with her arms crossed.

"Willy Wonka is all about surprises," I softly replied. "That's probably why his products are as delicious as they are. There's definitely no sign of a key in here, so let's carry on." I closed the door to the Laffy Taffy room and we peered through the next door into the Bottle Caps room. A large robotic arm grabbed four empty bottles at a time from a conveyor belt, and it unscrewed the caps before injecting hot liquid sugar into them. The resulting cap-shaped candies were sorted by flavor and color before they dropped into small colorful boxes, which were placed onto another conveyor belt.

"Nothing in there," Veruca shrugged before we continued on towards the Pixy Stix room. I opened the door...and then I wished I hadn't. Hundreds of tiny pixies flew out, and they immediately began to attack us. I screamed, kicked, and flailed, but my attempts proved to be futile as they began to attach themselves to my arms, their tiny claws and teeth digging painfully into my skin.

"What do we do?!" Veruca cried as the pixies began adhering themselves to her arms as well.

"I don't know!" I screamed, my vision blurring with tears. I was frantically looking around the room, not only for the key (which, again, was nowhere in sight) but also for anything I could use to get rid of the pixies as they continued to claw at my skin. Suddenly, I spotted a small aerosol container on a nearby shelf, and I seized it before spraying the contents onto myself and Veruca. With a horrible shrieking sound, the pixies dislodged themselves from my body and flew off into a corner of the room. We ran outside as fast as we could, and I slammed the door behind us just before the pixies regained their bearings.

"Oh my god," Veruca whispered. "That was even worse than the squirrel attack! Look!" I examined her arms, and they were covered with red marks from the pixies' claws and teeth. "You have them, too!" she cried, and I looked at my arms, which weren't in any better shape than Veruca's.

"Are you okay?" a voice called out. I looked up from my arms to see a rather concerned Oompa Loompa standing in front of us. He frowned as he carefully examined our wounds. "I dunno, kids," he sighed. "You'll have to visit the Puppet Hospital and Burns Center."

"But isn't it for puppets?" Veruca inquired. "We passed through there while we rode the Great Glass Elevator."

"Don't worry, people may receive treatment there as well," he reassured her. "Follow me."

The tiny worker led us through some more corridors, and I hoped that I wouldn't forget the names of the candy-making rooms that we passed along the way. He stopped in front of a large circular door at the far end of a shorter hallway. Above the door was an illuminated sign that read: PUPPET HOSPITAL AND BURNS CENTER.

As soon as we set foot in the room, four Oompa Loompas dressed in white lab coats carefully placed me on a gurney and smoothed some blankets over me before doing the same with Veruca.

"So, what exactly will you do to us?" I asked one of the Oompa Loompas as he wheeled me towards a wall.

"The procedure will take only about a half-hour," he said with a calm voice. "Mr. Wonka recently invented special candies that make a person instantly fall asleep, and then we will inject a special solution that heals surface wounds and aching bones in the blink of an eye." He smiled before handing me a small purple tablet. I popped the grape-flavored candy into my mouth, and it instantly melted on my tongue. My vision slowly faded away as I closed my eyes and lost consciousness.

 **Author's note: I really hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, even though it was short. I LOVED writing about the Laffy Taffy room! It just came to me as a plot bunny so I had to include it. Which rooms should Charlie and Veruca explore next? Let me know in the comments. :)**

 **Update: I'll be writing Chapter 5 very soon, but the story will temporarily switch to Veruca's POV during that chapter and possibly the next two or three. (The switch is mainly for character development purposes.) Just thought I should give you all a heads-up.**


	5. A Confession to Charlie

Chapter 5 - A Confession to Charlie

 **Author's note: Hello everyone! Chapter 5 is up, and in case you didn't read the author's note in Chapter 4, I'll be switching to Veruca's POV for the next few chapters. It's for character development purposes. Before I acknowledge your reviews, I thought I should tell you how this story originated. The idea first came to me just after I watched the movie when it was in theaters, so that was a whole decade ago. (Wow, time flies.) I'll admit that I had a crush on Veruca (I was only ten years old at the time, so don't call me crazy) and that's what spurred the idea for this story. For some reason, I never got around to it until inspiration randomly struck me in mid-April 2016, and my idea from a decade ago finally came into being. Now, time for me to respond to your reviews:**

 **Linkwonka88, I didn't really have that movie in mind when I wrote the pixie scene, although I am a huge Harry Potter fan so it probably came to me as a subconscious thought. (In fact, my username used to be potterfan072 before I started writing for other fandoms.)**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you enjoyed the Laffy Taffy room! I had so much fun writing about that room. One of the rooms you requested will be visited in the next chapter.**

 **Guest, thanks for the compliment, and the update has arrived! :D**

 **Sonny April, when you suggested the Golden Goose room, THAT was a coincidence because Charlie and Veruca will explore that room in this chapter!** **(Oh darn, did I just spoil an upcoming event? Whoops!)** **However, this one more closely resembles the 1971 version (with Wilder Wonka), although it would be cool if you could share with me what you had in mind. Oh, and I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the Laffy Taffy room as well! Now, on with the story!**

~Veruca's POV~

"Don't touch that squirrel's nuts! It'll make him crazy!" Mr. Wonka cried as I walked across the floor of the Nut Sorting Room. My eyes were locked on one particular squirrel near the back of the area. It looked so cute! I could see my own face reflected in its beady black eyes, and I watched as its nose twitched slightly. I just couldn't resist having another pet.

"I'll have YOU," I proclaimed as I reached out to grab the squirrel for myself...

"Veruca!" a voice suddenly shouted in my ear. "Wake up!"

With an ear-piercing scream, I sat bolt upright and my eyes flew open. The ghostly images of the squirrels began to fade from my vision, morphing into the worried olive-green eyes of a young boy who stood beside my bed. "Ch-Charlie?" I stammered.

"You were having a nightmare, weren't you?" Charlie asked with concern. "Was it about the squirrel attack?"

I tried to speak, but all that came out was a feeble whisper. "Yes."

"Don't worry, you're safe," he reassured me as I looked around. To my relief, I was still in the Puppet Hospital and Burns Center. I suddenly remembered why I was here to begin with, and I looked at my arms. They were perfectly fine. Charlie extended an arm towards me, and I took his hand as he helped me to get out of bed. He was back to normal as well.

"Thank you," I said in a shaky voice, and Charlie smiled at me in response. I took a deep, ragged breath before I continued on. "Charlie, I'll be honest with you: I never knew that this factory would change my life so much. I was such a fool, and I was used to getting anything and everything I wanted. I wanted a squirrel, and I learned the hard way when they attacked me. Had the incinerator been lit that day, I would have died. Charlie, you..." I paused as I struggled to fight back the tears that threatened to spill over my eyes, "you could very well have saved my life." My voice broke and I began to cry. Charlie wrapped me in a hug and I buried my face in his shoulder.

"Veruca," Charlie whispered in my ear as tears streamed down my face like two waterfalls. "It's not your fault. There's nothing wrong with you at all."

I looked into his eyes. "Really? Is that...true?" I asked as I hastily wiped the tears away.

"Yes," he softly replied. "My grandparents told me the truth when we first saw you on TV and heard about how you got your Golden Ticket. Your parents are the ones to blame because they spoiled you. They raised you that way, and no good can ever come from that." I didn't know how to respond, so I just buried my face in his shoulder again for several seconds before we pulled away from the hug. We stared directly into each other's eyes before Charlie broke the silence. "Shall we go?" he asked. I nodded in response. We thanked the Oompa Loompas who took care of us before we walked back out into the maze of corridors.

"We're running out of time," Charlie said urgently, "so let's find that key." He took my hand and we set off to continue the search. After almost ten minutes of wandering from corridor to corridor, we finally discovered some more rooms: GOLDEN CHOCOLATE EGGS, EXPLODING CANDY TESTING ROOM, and EXPLODING CANDY (UNDER CONSTRUCTION). The door to the Exploding Candy room was bolted shut. There was an orange sign on the door, and it displayed the silhouette of an Oompa Loompa wearing a mask and holding a welding torch.

"Let's check out this room first," Charlie said as he opened the large round door to the Golden Chocolate Eggs room, gesturing for me to go in before him.

The room was large and circular, and the ceiling was so high that I couldn't even see it. A shelf-like platform spanned nearly the entire rear half of the room, and above that platform, in seven glass cages, were the biggest geese I had ever seen.

Every once in a while, one of the seven geese would lay an enormous golden egg, which tumbled down a slide before landing on the platform. The way the eggs were sorted brought back horrible memories of the Nut Sorting Room. The good eggs were indicated by a green light and a dinging sound. They were carefully taken from the platform by Oompa Loompas, who polished them to a mirror finish and placed them onto a conveyor belt. The bad eggs were indicated by a red light and a buzzer before they fell through trapdoors in the platform, into what I assumed was the garbage chute. I shuddered at the very thought of it. And to think that just a few hours ago, I would have begged my father for one of those geese!

"I really don't think the key is in here," I said impatiently before I sprinted out of the room like a scared rabbit, and a few seconds later, Charlie decided to give up as well.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," I apologized as he closed the door behind us. "It just made me think of the Nut Sorting Room."

"I understand, Veruca," Charlie replied as we made our way towards the next room, "but please don't let it take over you, otherwise we won't make very much progress. Let's keep looking." We glanced apprehensively at each other just before he opened the door to the Exploding Candy Testing Room.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and I'm sorry that it turned out to be another short one. The next one will definitely be longer, so don't worry! Until then, feel free to provide your feedback and suggestions for where they should go next, if you have any. :)**

 **Update: I'm starting to write Chapter 6. I'm letting you know that some of the rooms will be influenced by the video game, so I really hope that they'll work in the context of my story without it turning into a glorified walkthrough! My updates might take a bit longer as a result, but I'll make sure to keep 'em coming!**


	6. The Prototype Candies Corridor

Chapter 6 - The Prototype Candies Corridor

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back! I'll try to make this as short as possible so that we can get to the story quickly. All of the candies here are still prototypes, as you'll remember from the Inventing Room scene in the movie (some of them are from the book as well). The Licoricious Detonation Cord (which will appear in this chapter) is my very own idea, so hopefully you'll like it! Now, I must acknowledge your reviews:**

 **Linkwonka88, that's awesome. Mike Teavee is quite the character indeed! As for your suggestions, I might include the first two at a later point in the story, but I'm not sure yet. Also, quite a few of my readers have already asked me to include the Fizzy Lifting Drinks room, but first I'm going to wait until a certain fat boy makes his return... :D**

 **Sonny April, I'm glad that you enjoyed reading Chapter 5. That does sound like a really cool idea for the Golden Chocolate Eggs room, but I already had that scene fully written out before you reviewed Chapter 4!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, yes, there is a bit of romance between Charlie and Veruca, but this is not (and will not be) a "romance story" by any means. Sorry about that. As for the exploding candies and the three-course dinner chewing gum, just keep reading to find out!**

 **VerucaSaltQueen, I'm glad you enjoyed it! The next few chapters will also be from her POV, and then I'll probably switch back to Charlie's POV.**

 **Charlie Bucket, HA! I can definitely imagine how Veruca would react to being covered in caramel! I don't think I'll be including that in my story, though. Sorry.**

 **Guest, I will definitely be including that later, because that is one of my favorite scenes from the book. Now, on with the story! :)**

My jaw dropped in awe as I set foot in the Exploding Candy Testing Room. It was so big that I couldn't even see the ceiling or walls. A series of targets seemed to be suspended in midair, and high above us, Oompa Loompas were sitting behind large cannons. They must have been preparing them for testing, because not a single shot was fired.

"This is the same room that we travelled through in the Great Glass Elevator!" Charlie exclaimed. "I don't see any sign of a key in here, though. Let's go, Veruca." We exited the room and closed the door before walking past the Exploding Candy room, which was still under construction. "I wonder how the others are doing," he said.

"Don't worry about what happened to them," I replied smugly. "They deserved it." Just as Charlie was about to respond, we came across a room that was labeled: "LICORICIOUS DETONATION CORD".

"Licoricious Detonation Cord," Charlie said slowly as if learning how to pronounce the name. "What kind of candy is that?"

"Well, there's one way to find out," I responded as we leaned in towards the door.

We took a peek through a darkly tinted window, and I saw two Oompa Loompas wearing what looked like welding masks. They were standing behind a control panel. In front of them was a long, thin red cord that was apparently made of licorice. One end was connected to the control panel, and the other end was wrapped around a test dummy.

"No key in here," I said as I left his side and began to walk further down the corridor.

"Wait, Veruca!" Charlie shouted. "Don't you want to see what will happen?" I paused and then slowly turned around to face him.

"Alright," I sighed before walking back to the door.

I peered through the window just as one of the Oompa Loompas nodded to the other, and he pressed a big red button. With a blinding flash, a thunderous explosion shook the door, and as the smoke subsided, the dummy was completely gone, having been blown to smithereens.

"I'm glad Mike Teavee never had a chance to see that," I remarked. "He'd probably use it to blow up the entire factory as far as I'm concerned, considering how much he hates chocolate."

"Don't say that," Charlie said in response. "Sure, he was one of the rotten ones, but I highly doubt he'd go that far."

Without saying a word, we continued on towards the next room, which was labeled...

"Wait!" I cried, suddenly grabbing Charlie's arm. "This is the same stuff that Violet tried in the Inventing Room, the Three-Course Dinner Chewing Gum! If it has its own room now, that probably means they've perfected the recipe! Let's try some!"

"I don't know, Veruca," Charlie replied warily. "I think we should wait until later."

"Well, the testing must have gone over well if it has its own room," I said before I began to unlatch the door.

"No, Veruca!" Charlie shouted, but it was too late. I had already opened the door and walked inside.

The room was dominated by an enormous machine which didn't look too different from the one we saw in the Inventing Room. The same red liquid was coursing through glass pipes that snaked around and through the machine, and as the pieces of gum exited the machine, they were transported out of the room by a long conveyor belt. I asked a nearby Oompa Loompa for a piece, which he gladly took from the conveyor belt and handed to me.

"Little boy," the Oompa Loompa said to Charlie, noticing his concerned expression, "I will assure you that the recipe has been perfected. It's safe to chew now." He handed a piece to Charlie as well, who nervously put it in his mouth before I did the same. Immediately, a burst of flavor exploded in my mouth.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed in wonder as hot, creamy tomato soup began to run down my throat. "This stuff is amazing!" Charlie nodded at me and grinned while chewing his own piece. The flavor suddenly changed, and I could actually feel the crispiness of potato skins on my tongue, complete with warm, rich butter. It was very enjoyable, but I was starting to feel very nervous about what was coming next.

"Are you sure this is okay?" I asked the Oompa Loompa just as the flavor began to switch to blueberry pie and ice cream.

"Once again, the recipe has been perfected," he reiterated. "Each of us had about twenty pieces and nothing has happened to us." I decided to trust his words, and I frantically looked at every part of my body, fearing that I would turn purple at any moment, but sure enough, nothing happened.

"Wow, that was great!" Charlie said with delight. Like me, he scanned his whole body, but not a single trace of purple was to be found. He thanked the Oompa Loompa before asking, "Have you seen any keys in here? One that would unlock the doors to the Chocolate Room?"

"Nope," the little man replied as he shook his head. "Best keep looking, kids. Good luck." And with that, we threw our finished pieces of gum into the garbage and exited the room.

"We need to tell Violet about this, now that the gum is safe to chew," Charlie said in a rather excited tone as we continued to walk down the corridor.

"I don't think so," I told him as I shook my head. "I'm sure she's going to be having nightmares about that, just like how I'm having nightmares about what happened to me. Besides, she would be better off in a county fair anyway." I added in a little laugh followed by a smirk as I looked at Charlie, who kept a straight face. "What, do you have a problem with that?"

"I just hope that the juicing process went well," Charlie said in a slightly worried tone.

"Ah, she'll be fine," I reassured him. "She was nothing but a bloody snob anyway, so it's not like I care."

We stopped as we reached the next room: "HAIR TOFFEE". I opened the door and we walked inside.

The Hair Toffee room was divided into two sections. The section closest to us was where the machine produced the candies, but it was covered by a large tarp. The other half of the room was a barbershop-like area, where ten Oompa Loompas sat in reclining chairs while getting their newly grown hair styled by ten more Oompa Loompas. The recipe had obviously been perfected, since their hairstyles looked much more appealing than the poor worker I saw in the Inventing Room.

"You should try a piece," Charlie teased. "I bet you'd look great."

In response, I glared at him and shouted, "As if I want to grow a bloody beard!" Out of the corner of my eye, I caught an Oompa Loompa smirking at me, probably imagining how I would look with extra hair on my face. "Let's move on," I said to Charlie, feeling rather embarrassed. "I don't see anything else in here."

After hastily leaving the room and closing the door, we walked further onward until we reached yet another room: "RAINBOW DROPS". Charlie opened the door and let me go in first.

One hundred multicolored glass pipes were connected to a large, round machine in the center of the room, and a conveyor belt underneath the machine collected the small round candies that dropped out. The candies had a swirl design on them, each in seven different colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

The Oompa Loompas in this room plucked random candies from the conveyor belt to sample them before sitting at both sides of a long table. They were wearing white suits, which were stained with droplets of different colors, probably from previous quality control tests. After sucking on the candies for several seconds, they were engaged in what seemed like a spitting match, and every few seconds, a spray of multicolored saliva shot out of their mouths, drenching the suits of the Oompa Loompas sitting across from them. I could only watch for a few seconds before I gagged and looked away.

"That's completely repulsive," I mumbled to myself while Charlie scanned the room for any sign of the Chocolate Room key, all to no avail.

"There's nothing in here," he sighed. "Let's go."

We then came across the final room in this corridor: "BUTTERSCOTCH & BUTTERGIN". We peered through the window, and the scene in this room was chaotic. The Oompa Loompas wobbled with every step they took, and all the while they were laughing giddily as they danced around a large vat that contained a bubbling, golden-brown liquid. The liquid was piped into an enormous machine in the center of the room, and at the other end of it were two rotating carousels, one for butterscotch and the other for buttergin. Each carousel filled empty glass bottles with their respective drinks before a conveyor belt transported them out of the room.

"Can we go in?" I asked. Charlie shook his head in response.

"First off, we're not old enough," Charlie said. "Those drinks are alcoholic. Second, I still don't think there's a key in there."

Sighing in disappointment, I turned away and we continued to stroll down the corridor. The hallway changed direction a few times along the way. _My mom would love to have a room like that,_ I thought. _Maybe if I win the prize at the end, whatever it is, then Daddy might be able to get us a Butterscotch & Buttergin room!_

Before long, we reached a large door at the end of the corridor. The glowing label on this door read: "RECREATION CORRIDOR: EAST ENTRANCE".

 **Author's note: I really hope that you enjoyed reading this chapter. Which rooms should Charlie and Veruca visit in the Recreation Corridor? Let me know! :)**

 **Update: Just letting you know that Chapter 7 is being written, and it should be published in a few days. Hang in there!**


	7. No Relaxing Here

Chapter 7 - No Relaxing Here

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back! I'm really sorry that this update took longer than I expected. I have already started to write the next chapter and it will be MUCH longer, so don't worry! Now, time to acknowledge your reviews:**

 **Linkwonka88, I'm not completely sure if I'll include that, but I watched Nostalgia Critic and the video that compared the 2005 movie to the 1971 movie was absolutely hilarious!**

 **Sonny April, you did a great job with your description of the Golden Chocolate Eggs room. As for the other kids, there's only one way to find out: keep reading!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, thanks for the compliment! Also, one of the rooms you suggested will be visited in this chapter.**

 **Guest, there's one way to find out!**

 **naomi, thanks for the compliment! However, your comment pertained to chapter 1, and this is chapter 7, so your suggestion is no longer valid. Sorry.**

 **VerucaSaltQueen, thank you so much for the compliment. Who knows, they might come across that room sooner or later. It will be included at some point in the story, so don't worry!**

 **iluvVerucaSalt, I'm not entirely sure whether I'll include that, but it does seem like a very cool idea!**

 **Guest, worry no longer. The update is here! Now, on with the story! :)**

As Charlie and I journeyed down the Recreation Corridor, I had to mentally force myself to not spend any more than one minute in each room, especially the first one which was labeled: "SPA".

"A spa? I want to go in now!" I demanded, temporarily forgetting about our mission. "My feet are killing me!"

"Veruca, I wish I could relax as well," Charlie said, "but we have to find..."

"Yeah, right, that stupid key," I groaned. "Why couldn't Mr. Wonka make this a little easier? WHY?!"

"Veruca, calm down," Charlie said quietly. "Throwing a tantrum won't get us anywhere. Now, let's go in, but remember, we're only looking for the key. You probably didn't bring a swimsuit anyway."

"No, I didn't," I sighed in disappointment as Charlie opened the large, round door.

Upon entering, we found ourselves in a magnificent lobby. The walls were lined with solid dark chocolate, and above each of the round doors that branched off of this room was a keystone made of shiny pure gold. The room's centerpiece was a life-size sculpture of Mr. Wonka that was made entirely from dark chocolate. The doors that branched off of the lobby were labeled: "SAUNA", "PEDICURES", "MANICURES", "EXFOLIATION ROOM", "HOT CHOCOLATE BATH", "COOL LEMONADE BATH", and "CHANGING ROOMS".

"Veruca, you should check out the females' changing room," Charlie told me. "I'll look inside the other rooms." I nodded in response before I opened the door.

The females' changing room was no less ornate than the lobby. The floor, benches, and even the toilet cubicles were made of rock-solid dark and light chocolate, and there were swirl designs where the two shades intertwined. The locker doors were made of pure gold. Not surprisingly, every locker was bolted shut, and the only way they could be opened was by using a fingerprint scanner mounted on the door. There was no sign of a key anywhere, not even in any of the showers or toilet cubicles. I pouted as I exited the changing room.

"No luck, Veruca?" Charlie asked me once I returned to the lobby. I shook my head in disappointment, and the expression on his face conveyed the same message. "Don't worry, we'll find it eventually," he said encouragingly before we left the spa and continued on.

The next door we came to was labeled: "MUSIC CONSERVATORY". Inside this room, rows upon rows of short music stands stretched as far as I could see. As we walked past each row, I noticed that the sheet music on the stands included "Wonka's Welcome Song", "Augustus Gloop", and "Violet Beauregarde". I stopped by one of the stands to take a closer look.

"So the Oompa Loompas' songs _were_ rehearsed after all!" I said in astonishment as I flipped through the songs. "They'd better not have written a song about me!" Sure enough, to my dismay, the next page of sheet music was titled "Veruca Salt". I was seething in anger as I read the lyrics:

"Veruca Salt, the little brute,

Has just gone down the garbage chute.

And she will meet as she descends,

A rather different set of friends."

"I can't believe this!" I cried. I ripped the paper in half and then into quarters before throwing the remains into the air, and I watched as they fluttered to the ground like snowflakes. The only other song that remained was "Mike Teavee". There was no song for Charlie.

Just then, I heard Charlie gasp from halfway across the room. "Veruca, you have your own song too!" he exclaimed.

"Yes, I know!" I screamed in anger, my shrill voice echoing all around the room. "Mike Teavee had his own song too, but not you! Mr. Wonka really did want you as his heir! Now find that bloody key and let's get out of here!"

"You don't need to shout," Charlie said. "Besides, I haven't found any sign of it."

"THEN LET'S GO!" I hollered, sprinting towards the door. Charlie followed me from behind, and I practically slammed the door as we left the Music Conservatory.

"Ugh, the nerve of those stupid Oompa Loompas, writing a song like that about me!" I growled. "What a disgrace! They were clearly anticipating my own downfall! I hate them, I hate this factory, and I want to go home RIGHT NOW!"

"Veruca, that's not going to happen any time soon," Charlie said. "I know you're upset, but you must calm down otherwise we can't go on any further."

"Fine," I groaned before mouthing, "Mr. Wonka needs to wake up to reality and fire those workers of his."

We peeked into the windows of several more rooms: "VOLLEYBALL COURT", "BASKETBALL COURT", "TENNIS COURT", and "SWIMMING POOL", to name a few, but there was still no sign of a key whatsoever.

Soon, we reached the end of the corridor, and the door in front of us was labeled: "NORTHEAST CORRIDOR".

Just as I was about to open the door, I spotted a flash of movement through the window, and it appeared to be someone performing a cartwheel. At least that's what I _thought_ I saw.

"Did you see that?" I whispered to Charlie as all signs of color faded from my face.

"I thought I did," he replied and shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it was our imagination?"

"Could be," I said, trying my best to hide my fear. "But if we both saw it at the same time, then..." My voice trailed off for a few seconds as Charlie and I stared at each other. "Ah, whatever, let's just go."

We opened the door and I hesitantly followed Charlie into the Northeast Corridor. I frantically looked around for the mysterious acrobatic figure, but I didn't see anyone else in the area. After about a minute of walking, we found a trio of large, round doors: "MARSHMALLOW FOREST", "COCONUT ICE CAVE", and "JELLY BEANSTALK".

"Let's go in order," Charlie suggested, pointing to the Marshmallow Forest room. He opened the door and let me go in first, and what I saw nearly took my breath away.

The area was filled with thousands upon thousands of red-and-white candy cane trees, and the branches, which were made of smaller candy canes, were covered with marshmallows of all shapes, sizes, and colors.

"It's beautiful," I whispered in awe.

Charlie must have heard me since he replied with, "Yes, it's very beautiful."

"Are you trying to impersonate Mr. Wonka?" I asked him, recalling that Mr. Wonka made a similar comment in the Chocolate Room.

"What? No, Veruca!" Charlie exclaimed. "I'm just amazed at how Mr. Wonka comes up with these ideas of his!"

"Well, you do have a point," I said in response, and I gave him a smile that was actually sincere. His eyes locked onto mine as he warmly smiled back.

While we searched the forest for the key, we indulged ourselves by picking marshmallows from the candy cane trees. At one point I shrieked as a large gummy worm slithered across our path, but I was at least glad that I didn't see any squirrels.

After nearly an hour of walking in silence, we reached a clearing where an ornate pedestal-like structure stood. It was coated with sugar crystals and there were cryptic markings engraved in its surface.

"What do you suppose this is for?" I asked. "There has to be a reason as to why it's there."

"I don't know," Charlie responded, "but we're not here for that. We need to continue looking for the key."

After somehow managing to find our way back to the door (which took almost another hour), we left the Marshmallow Forest without any luck and headed to the next room.

"Who do you think that person was?" I asked as we reached the door to the Coconut Ice Cave. "The one we saw through the door?"

Charlie glanced at me. "Good question," he answered. "For all I know, it could have been an Oompa Loompa, or maybe one of the other chil - no, I doubt it." Charlie shook his head and turned the vault-like door handle.

We were hit by a blast of cold air as soon as the door to the Coconut Ice Cave swung open, and I found it quite refreshing after spending well over half the day in an overly warm factory. There were jackets hanging by the door, but I didn't bother putting one on. My mink coat was warm enough. Besides, I really needed to cool off, both literally and figuratively.

The cave was just as stunning as the Marshmallow Forest. The whole area was carved out of solid pink-and-white ice, including the jagged walls and ceiling. Five Oompa Loompas wearing warm, protective suits were chipping away at the ice with pick axes before shoveling it into a mine cart, which they sent down a track once it was fully loaded. Unfortunately, there was no sign of a key in this area.

The next area we came to was the Jelly Beanstalk. Just when I thought I couldn't be more impressed by anything in this factory, I was immediately proven wrong once the round door swung open.

In the center of this room was an enormous green beanstalk that stretched upwards like a gigantic needle poking out of the ground. It had to have been at least one hundred feet tall, if not more. Its tiny little branches were completely hidden by the clusters of colorful jelly beans that sprouted from them. A network of clear glass pipes spiraled around and through the beanstalk, and every few minutes, small clusters of jelly beans were sucked from the beanstalk and sent whizzing through the pipes and out of the room. New jelly beans began to grow almost immediately before the cycle repeated again. We scoured the area for a few minutes before Charlie hung his head and sighed. "There isn't any sign of a key in here," he lamented.

"Do you think we'll _ever_ find it?" I asked him, staring into his olive-green eyes.

"Well, it has to be somewhere," Charlie responded. "Mr. Wonka wouldn't be so mean as to trap us inside the factory forever. We need to meet up with our guardians at some point."

I let out a loud sigh as we exited the room. "I suppose, but if he truly wanted us to suffer, then why wouldn't...wait, I think I hear something."

I began to hear quiet noises from up ahead. As we walked some more, the noises grew louder and sounded closer, and I realized that they were actually voices.

"Did you hear that?" I asked Charlie nervously. Charlie nodded in response, and we both tried to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Shut up, you wimp," an arrogant female voice spoke. "That key will be ours, and we're not going to fail!"

"Veruca," Charlie whispered as we exchanged nervous glances, "I don't think we're alone."

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Is anyone curious as to what will happen next? If you think you know, or even if you just have any thoughts regarding this chapter, please leave a review! :)**


	8. When Friends and Foes Reunite

Chapter 8 - When Friends and Foes Reunite

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back! I do apologize, but this chapter will be a short one. It is short for a reason (you'll find out why at the end of the chapter), and I can assure you that Chapter 9 will be much longer. Anyway, time for me to acknowledge your reviews:**

 **Linkwonka88 and Guest, just keep reading!**

 **dragonserpent18 and Sonny April, get ready for a short but exciting chapter!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I loved writing that scene. There's just something about Veruca that's kind of...uh...aaand I can't think of the word. As for your suggestion, I don't know if I can include the Vermicious Knids. The kids simply wouldn't stand a chance against them! Now, on with the story!**

~Charlie's POV~

Veruca kept glancing at me with a nervous expression on her face as we walked further along the corridor, stopping every once in a while to take a peek through the doors that we passed.

"What are those things?" Veruca wondered as we came across a door that was labeled: "GUMMY SLUGS". This room almost looked like a miniature version of the Chocolate Room since the area was covered with grass and tiny candy apple trees. Large, colorful slugs slowly wriggled and crept over the grass, leaving a trail of clear slime in their wake.

"Well, I highly doubt the key would be anywhere in here," I said. "Let's carry on."

The next door was labeled: "HONEYBEES".

"There's no way I'm _ever_ going in there!" Veruca exclaimed as we looked through the window. Like the Gummy Slugs room, grass covered the floor, except the trees in this room were at least thirty feet tall, and several large beehives hung from the branches. Hundreds upon hundreds of bees swarmed and buzzed all around the hives, and those that weren't near the hives were pollinating the small, colorful flowers that dotted the field. The Oompa Loompas, who wore protective full-body suits, occasionally swabbed the interior of each hive to gather the honey, which was then sucked up into a pipe that carried it out of the room.

"I'm not going in there, either," I said.

We continued onward to the next room, which was labeled: "HONEY TAFFY".

"So _that's_ what the bees were for," Veruca said just as the door suddenly swung open, and I jumped in surprise. Veruca let out an ear-piercing scream.

"Bloody hell!"

"What the...?"

"Oh my god!"

"Was geht hier vor sich?"

Three people who I never expected to see again stood before us: Mike Teavee, Violet Beauregarde, and Augustus Gloop.

Mike Teavee was stretched out to nine feet tall and as thin as a wire. Violet Beauregarde looked pretty much normal, minus the obvious fact that her skin and hair would stay blue forever. To my surprise, even after what she had been through, she was _still_ chewing her record-breaking piece of gum. Augustus was much slimmer since I last saw him, but I was sure that it was just because of how he was squeezed in the pipe.

"What are you two doing here?" Mike asked rudely. Apparently the stretching had no effect on his demeanor, but at least his voice sounded relatively normal again.

"We're looking for the key to get out of the factory," Veruca responded. "You're doing the same, from what I heard?"

"Correct," Violet said. "Hello, _best friend_."

Veruca smirked at her. "Honestly, Violet, you looked much better as a blueberry."

Violet growled like an angry dog as her eyes narrowed. "Don't ever insult me like that," she seethed. "Just because I was a blueberry for a little while doesn't mean that I've lost any of my athletic abilities in the process."

"How did you three meet up again?" I asked Violet, Mike, and Augustus.

"The Oompa Loompas took each of us through the maintenance corridors and we all met each other and Mr. Wonka in the Chocolate Room," Mike answered. "He simply said that he would challenge us to find a way out of the factory, and just left it at that. The Chocolate Room door was locked, and the Great Glass Elevator was completely disabled, so that's when Violet decided we should look for the key." Violet smiled and nodded in response.

"Unfortunately, all zhe fudge is gone because Mr. Vonka took me zhrough somezhing called zhe Vonka Vash or somezhing like zhat," Augustus replied. "My fingers tasted so good before he forced me zhrough zhat zhing!"

Veruca grimaced in disgust. "How revolting!"

"Well, you're no better than him, _Princess_ Veruca, considering how your daddy always gives you everything you want," Violet snarled. "I worked hard for what I wanted, and I reaped the rewards when I earned my ticket. You just whined all the time while your daddy ordered his workers to shell hundreds of thousands of Wonka bars for three days, all for a ticket that the poor woman didn't even get to keep! She deserved it more than you! And you know why? You did not earn it yourself. I did, because I'm a champion, and you're a spoiled brat. So there!"

"Hey!" Augustus exclaimed. "Are you saying Veruca's better zhan me?"

"Augustus, you at least found your own ticket," Violet said. "She's nothing but a..."

"Please, stop arguing!" I shouted. "It will not help anyone here. I actually think the five of us should work together as a team." I looked around at everyone else, who simply stared blankly at me. "I'm sure that's why Mr. Wonka organized this challenge," I added.

"Vell, it does make sense," Augustus agreed. "If ve vant to get out of zhis factory, I zhink ve should vork togezher."

"I agree," Mike said. "My video games have taught me about the importance of teamwork. When I get home, I'm going to give my mom and dad a serious lecture about the cognitive benefits of video games. Anyway, I'm in."

Violet groaned. "I will accept your idea, Charlie, but Veruca, you'd better not cross the line, because you're no match for me, and you will never be." Veruca glared at her, but decided to stay silent.

"Shall we carry on?" I asked the other four children, and they reluctantly nodded in response. "Let's go."

The next few rooms that we walked past were labeled: "CARAMELS", "CAVITY-FILLING CARAMELS", "SUPER-STRETCHY TAFFY", "WRIGGLE SWEETS", and "CHOCOLATE-COATED PENCILS".

"You're moving too fast!" Veruca complained. "I want to explore them all!"

"We already explored those rooms," Mike said, "and there was no key in any of them."

"Where are we, anyway?" Veruca asked.

"Beats me," Mike replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Remember, that key could be literally anywhere, so every single room in the factory is fair game."

"Even this one?" Violet said while grinning evilly at Veruca. She was pointing towards a round, white door.

The door was labeled: "NUT SORTING ROOM."

 **Author's note: I know that I said last chapter that this one would be longer, but I chose to split this chapter into two parts. The second part is already written, but I'll wait a while before uploading it. (Then again, Veruca is about to face her worst fear, so why not build up the suspense?) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this short chapter, and Violet and the others are officially back! If you want, you can suggest more rooms for the group to explore, but they will not appear until Chapter 10. Stay tuned! :)**

 **Update: I am re-writing Chapter 9 since I just thought it could have been written better. I promise I'll upload it within a week or so, and then I'll continue on with the story once that's done.**


	9. Backtracking Through the Factory

Chapter 9 - Backtracking Through the Factory

 **Author's note: Hey everyone! I'm terribly sorry that I took so long to publish Chapter 9 (technically Chapter 8 Pt. 2)! I had to completely rewrite this chapter because I didn't like how it turned out before, and in addition to life just being busy overall, I also went through a brief phase of writer's block before I finished writing this chapter. To make it up for you, it will be nice and long as I promised, so I hope you'll enjoy it. Now, time for me to respond to your reviews:**

 **Sonny April, I knew that Sluggles were an actual candy, but I was inspired by watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets without thinking about it (that's where the inspiration for the Pixy Stix room's security pixies stemmed from as well).**

 **VerucaSaltQueen, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! Be prepared for the squirrels!**

 **Linkwonka88, that's pretty much what will happen here!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, we'll see about that first part! You sure came up with some wonderful room ideas, but not all of them will appear. Most of them will in the next few chapters, just not all of them. Yet.**

 **Guest, the update is here! Sorry I made you wait so long.**

 **Random Guy, just keep reading to find out for yourself! Now, on with the story! :)**

Veruca paled with terror as soon as she read the label on the door to the Nut Sorting Room. "Violet," she said shakily, "I am not going anywhere near those squirrels ever again!"

"Relax, they're only squirrels," Violet said coolly. "They won't hurt you."

" _They won't hurt you_ , are you crazy?!" she spluttered. "They attacked me and considered me a big piece of rubbish! I could have died in there, had the incinerator been lit! If Charlie wouldn't have saved me, those squirrels would have happily watched me get roasted to a crisp!"

"Shut up," Violet said coldly. "For starters, the incinerator was almost certainly _not_ lit. Second, the worst that would have happened is that you would have left the area covered in garbage. So what?"

"That's easy for you to say!" Veruca yelled. "Think about what would have become of my dignity!"

"Stop, you two!" Mike exclaimed. "Remember what Charlie said. We have to work together, as a team. That's the only way we'll accomplish our task." I smiled at Mike. He was finally on my side. I looked at Veruca, who was still glaring at Violet.

"Veruca, how about you stay here while we go into the Nut Sorting Room?" I suggested. "Remember that it's not just me and you anymore."

Veruca briefly glanced at me and sighed. "Fine, I'll stay here." She turned around and faced the wall just before Violet opened the door to the Nut Sorting Room.

The room looked almost the same as last time, but other than the sound of our footsteps, it was dead silent. Each of the one-hundred blue stools was unoccupied. The large nut containers were completely empty since the squirrels were done for the day. Violet was already somersaulting her way down the stairs before I even got close to reaching the edge of the balcony.

"Veruca!" I called out. "There aren't any squirrels in here! It's fine!"

"Are you sure about that, Charlie?" she asked, her voice muffled by the wall.

"Yes, I'm sure," I replied. "I've never lied to anyone." Hesitantly, Veruca turned around and followed me into the room, where Violet and Mike were searching each vacant workstation for any sign of the Chocolate Room key. Sighing in relief, Veruca walked right up to the railing and eagerly watched Violet and Mike, and I did the same. Augustus was leaning against a nearby wall, and he was obviously bored since there weren't any nuts in sight.

"There's nothing in here," Mike said a few minutes later, and the two children walked back up the stairs and threaded themselves through the gate to reunite with us.

"Vhy veren't zhere any nuts in zhere?" Augustus asked, looking back towards the empty nut containers. "I coulda had some!"

"You already had enough to eat in the Nerds room," Violet said sternly, "and remember, I had to literally pull you away from the Hair Toffee machine."

"So that's why the machine was covered by a tarp?" I asked as we left the Nut Sorting Room and continued walking down the corridor.

"Exactly," Violet replied. "I'll admit that I would have liked to see him with a beard, though."

"Hey!" Augustus exclaimed. "Are you..."

"Hold on, I just realized something," Mike interrupted. "Charlie, Veruca, and I were in this very corridor during the tour."

"So?" Violet looked at him with a puzzled expression. "How is that significant?"

"Isn't it obvious? We came this way after we left the Inventing Room!" Mike said. "That was where you turned into a blueberry, _in case you forgot_. You had to go to the Juicing Room, remember? That means that we could backtrack towards the Inventing Room and navigate through the maintenance corridors to get to where the Juicing Room is! The boat should be somewhere near there."

Violet sighed. "I think you're right, Mike. On the way to the Juicing Room, the boat was empty except for four Oompa Loompas, myself, and my mother. All four Oompa Loompas escorted me out of the room and through the maintenance corridors once the juice was squeezed from my body. There's still a fairly good chance that the boat might be where they left it, and I don't want to waste a single moment."

We then came across a round door that was wide open. In this room, a group of Oompa Loompas with brooms were sweeping mounds of broken nutshells and brown fur from the floor. A sprawling network of stairwells, catwalks, wooden poles, and clear plastic tubes seemed to take up every inch of space in the upper level of the room, and then I noticed the bushy-tailed rodents that were scurrying about. I was about to warn Veruca, but it was too late.

"AAAAAAAAHH!" Veruca's ear-splitting scream rang through my ears and echoed all around the corridor.

"Veruca, it's okay, it's okay!" I said in an attempt to console her, but she was still screaming and pointing towards the dozens of squirrels who had turned around to stare at her. I had to pull her away from the room before she started to calm down. "You're fine," I said to her. She glared at me in response.

"You think I'm fine?!" Veruca snarled. "I thought there weren't any bloody squirrels in here anymore!"

"Veruca, that was back in the Nut Sorting Room," Violet said as we resumed walking. "The squirrels obviously can't just sit there shelling nuts all day. They need to have a place where they can play, eat, and sleep."

"Well, I never thought of that!" Veruca shouted.

"You see," Violet continued, "that's why you were a bad nut. You have a hollow head."

"And how exactly did _you_ know that?!" Veruca shrieked.

"Mike told me, of course," Violet said with an innocent-looking smile. "We shared our stories as we began our search for the key."

Veruca glared at both Violet and Mike with a look of pure loathing. " _You didn't even dare..._ " she seethed.

"Oh, yes, I dared," Violet said, putting her hands on her hips. "And I have no regrets in telling him your story."

"Seriously," Veruca growled, "I wish I could rewind time, to go back to when you were a nice, fat blueberry!"

"THAT'S IT!" Violet screamed, and she swung a leg at Veruca, knocking the British girl to the ground. Veruca tried to stand up, but Violet continued to pummel her like an angry gorilla.

"Stop it!" I yelled as I came to Veruca's aid. Augustus grabbed Violet from behind, who was still kicking and screaming, and dragged her away from Veruca. I helped Veruca to stand up, and she never took her eyes off of Violet as she got back to her feet.

"Were you trying to kill me or something?" Veruca screamed as she examined her injuries.

"I wish," Violet growled. "Unfortunately, I did not succeed in doing so."

"Violet, remember that we have a mission to carry out," Mike said.

"Oh yes, I remember," Violet said, glaring at him. "But how can I succeed if that wart is with us?"

"Don't you dare insult me!" Veruca screamed.

"It's called _teamwork_ , Violet," Mike reminded her as we continued to walk. "We must work together, otherwise we will take all day to find the key!"

"Well, _I_ want to be the one who wins the grand prize at the end," Violet said. "Out of you five, the winner is gonna be me, and I'll make sure of that."

"Violet, we're here now," Mike said as we reached the end of the corridor. The Inventing Room door loomed in front of us.

"Great," Violet said. "Now let's go inside and see if the key might be in there."

"But the room is so big!" Veruca complained. "We'll spend hours in there!"

"I really don't care. We're doing whatever it takes to get that key," Violet said as I walked up to the door. I turned the vault-like handle and pulled as hard as I could, but the door didn't budge an inch.

"It's locked!" I cried. "There must be another way out of here."

"Follow me," Violet said as she pulled open a smaller nearby door. It led into another concrete maintenance corridor, and this one was so narrow that we had to walk in single file. The ceiling was inches above our heads, and I was sure that this corridor was made for the Oompa Loompas. Violet led the way, followed by myself, Veruca, and Augustus. We only walked for about ten feet before I heard a voice from behind.

"Uh, how am I supposed to walk through here?" Mike asked. He was still standing outside the entrance. "I'm far too tall."

"Really?" Veruca groaned from behind me.

"Well, you'll obviously have to bend down!" Violet yelled with a hint of arrogance in her voice. "Geez, I thought you were supposed to be the smart one!"

Mike scowled. "Do you know how to hack computers, solve trigonometry problems, and memorize the first two hundred digits of pi?"

"No," Violet said, putting her hands on her hips, "but I have no less than two-hundred sixty-three trophies and medals, and I am a world-record holding gum chewer! Try beating that!"

"Well, _I_ have no less than three-hundred PlayStation trophies! HA!" Mike retorted. Violet glowered at him. "Oh, whatever," Mike groaned as he bent down. The poor boy had to go on all fours to fit comfortably into this corridor.

After about five minutes of walking in silence, we reached a fork in the corridor.

"Wait a second," Violet said as she looked at the glowing arrows on the wall. "We already explored the Prototype Candies Corridor," she said, pointing to the left arrow, "and this one leads to...yes! The Juicing Room! There must be more than one corridor that leads there, because the Oompa Loompas never led me through this one. Come on!"

Once again, Augustus and Mike were struggling to keep up with us as we followed Violet, who was cartwheeling down the corridor that led to the Juicing Room. Mike panted like a dog as he tried crawling as fast as he could. Violet kicked the door open, and we emerged into a large circular room. The area was almost entirely taken up by an intimidating sphere-shaped machine that had to have been at least thirty feet in diameter. Hundreds upon hundreds of metal pipes spread out from the machine in all directions as if it were a mutant octopus. The floor was vibrating slightly from the low humming noise generated by the machine. Mike sighed in relief now that he could stand fully upright again.

"So that was the machine they put you in?" Mike asked. Even he looked intimidated by its size.

"Yes, Mike," Violet replied. "It did hurt somewhat while it squeezed all of the juice out of me, and it was extremely dark inside and I could barely breathe in there. At least it all worked out in the end, and I'm a lot more flexible as a result!"

She cartwheeled over to a large, round door at the far end of the room and threw it open. The burbling sound of flowing liquid chocolate filled the room, and I gleefully smiled as we walked through the doorway. We were now in one of the underground tunnels, and just off to my left was...

"YES!" Violet rejoiced. "The boat's still here!" True to her words, the bright-pink candy boat was tethered to the edge of the chocolate river, just where she said they had left it. The boat was completely vacant, and nearly all of the oars have been removed except for one pair of right and left oars near the center of the boat.

Violet turned to Augustus. "You haven't experienced the boat ride, have you?" she asked him.

"No, I haven't," Augustus responded.

"Get ready, you'll be in for a wild ride," Violet said. Augustus nervously nodded as we all sat down in the boat. Violet and Mike took the right oar, and Augustus, Veruca, and I took the left oar. "Ready?" Violet asked as she proceeded to untie the ropes from the boat. We all nodded, and once the boat was untied, we began to row the boat backwards down the chocolate river.

The tunnel was long and straight, and there weren't any other doors in sight other than the Juicing Room door, which seemed to get smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a glowing blue speck in the otherwise pitch-black tunnel.

"Wait!" Violet cried out. She was looking backwards over her shoulder, and we turned to face backwards as well. "I think I see another door up ahead."

A shaft of pink light pierced the darkness, and as we rounded a slight bend in the river, I saw a large door off to the left. The glowing pink letters on it read: "WONKA'S EDIBLE GARDEN".

"Let's stop the boat here," I suggested. I quickly climbed out of the boat, and everyone else followed me after I pushed open the door.

This corridor was by far the shortest one I had explored so far. There were only four doors in this area, and the last door was only about two hundred feet away from where we stood.

"Let's go there first," I said, pointing to the first door, which was labeled: "SQUISHY SPLOSHBERRIES".

"That's a funny name, Squishy Sploshberries," Violet said. "Never heard of those before."

"Well, there's one way to find out," Mike said, and we all crowded around the door to look inside. Rows upon rows of narrow green bushes dominated the room, and tiny gummy berries were growing among the thick leaves. The Oompa Loompas inside carefully plucked the largest berries from the bushes before slicing them in half. They dipped the flat sides of the freshly picked berries into a white, molten gelatin-like substance before immersing them in a container of dry ice to solidify the bond. The workers placed the gummy berries onto a scale, and they were weighed before they were dropped into small bags, which were then heat-sealed before a conveyor belt transported them out of the room.

"I'm sure the Oompa Loompas would have noticed by now if the key was in there," Violet said, "so let's carry on."

The next room was labeled: "SOUR PUCKEROOMS". The floor consisted of a thick layer of chocolate dirt, and tiny, brightly colored gummy mushrooms grew from it. The mushrooms were grouped by color and shape. The red ones grew on the left side of the room, the orange ones in the center, and the purple ones on the right side. The row of mushrooms closest to us had pointy caps, the next row of mushrooms had round, bulbous caps and short stems, and the mushrooms in the back row also had bulbous caps, but the stems were slightly longer. Two large robotic arms constantly showered them with sour sugar.

"I still don't see any sign of a key," Veruca grumbled as we continued onward. "I want to go home."

"Veruca, enough," Violet said sternly. "We can't leave because the boat is our only way to get around this area of the factory, unless you want to swim in the river."

Veruca sighed. "I guess you're right."

"Then grow up and help us, will you?!" Violet yelled, glaring at her.

"Okay, fine!" Veruca yelled back. "I'll be quiet from now on!"

Violet smiled. "That's more like it. Now, onward!"

The third door in the corridor was labeled: "WHIPPED WINGERS".

"Oh, look!" Veruca cried in delight. "Butterflies!"

Inside this room, translucent orange butterflies were fluttering through the air, occasionally landing on the small bushes and flowers that covered the floor. Yellow hornets and purple dragonflies were mingling with the butterflies, and large, pink beetles were scurrying in and out of the bushes.

"I doubt zhere is anyzhing in zhere," Augustus said. "Zhey do look tasty, zhough!"

"Well, you're not going in there," Violet said. "Come on, everyone."

The final door was labeled: "SLUGGLES (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)". Like the Exploding Candy Room, a large construction sign covered the door, which was bolted shut.

"I thought there was a room just like this," I said. "I'm sure it was called 'Gummy Slugs'."

"Maybe Mr. Wonka just came up with a better name and they'll transfer that candy's production line over to this one," Mike said. "I guess that explains why it's under construction. 'Gummy Slugs' does sound rather boring, after all."

"So that's it for this corridor," Violet said and quickly blew a bubble with her gum before it popped loudly. "We'd better look elsewhere to continue the search."

"I can't believe I made it this far," Mike said as we began to walk back down the corridor. "My legs are getting tired, and my back is in terrible pain. I want to go back to the video game room!"

Violet glared at him. "This is nothing. You should be happy because you're actually exercising instead of sitting on the couch and only moving your thumbs."

"Hey, I move my index fingers too!" Mike said. "You know, on the triggers? And I take the dog out for walks as well!"

"Great excuses," Violet said sarcastically. "I don't even play video games anyway. Those characters in your games are probably about as athletic as I am, so you could say that I do what you do, but in real life instead of on a screen."

"Well, I do at least have several bragging rights on the leaderboards for nearly every online game I've ever played, so there!" Mike looked at her. "Happy?"

"If you're asking whether or not I'm happy with how I motivate myself to win almost two-hundred karate competitions," Violet said, "then of course I am!"

We arrived back at the entrance to the corridor, and Augustus closed the door behind us just before we took our seats in the pink boat.

"Are you okay?" I asked Veruca, who looked a tad sullen.

"Yeah," she sighed. "I just want to go back home. I've been through enough today."

"Veruca, you mustn't give up," I said. "We're here as a team. You can do this."

"Let's go, everyone!" Violet said as she and Mike took one of the oars. "We can't be here all day!"

"Oww, my arms are aching already," Veruca complained after a few minutes of rowing.

"So are mine," Mike said, gasping for breath.

"Weaklings," I heard Violet muttering. "Seriously, is this all you've got? We need to find that key, so if we want to finish our mission, you'll have to exercise a little bit. Suck it up."

"What's that noise?" Mike suddenly asked, frantically looking around the nearly pitch-black tunnel.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Violet said. "Maybe...oh, I think I hear it as well."

I heard a steady, low rumble from behind, and it grew louder and louder with every passing second. "I can hear it too," I said.

"I really hope it isn't what I think it is," Mike said, clutching his stomach. "If there's more rapids, I want off, right now!"

"It'll be fine, Mike," Violet said to him. "Remember that I'm here, and I'm not afraid of anything, if that makes you feel better."

"I don't think so," Mike said in a worried tone. "I hated roller coasters for as long as I could remember!"

"Mike, if you were able to survive getting shrunk down by television and stretched out in a taffy puller, this should be child's play for you by now," Violet said.

"Uhh, Charlie?" Veruca asked me. "Are you...nervous?"

"Not really," I said. "I loved it the first time when we rode the river to the Inventing Room!" The rumble was deafening by now, and I joined everyone in a chorus of screams as the boat began to tip backwards, and the impending drop became steeper and steeper until we were almost looking straight up. My stomach seemed to rise up into my throat, and Veruca tightly grabbed my hand as gravity took over and the boat plunged backwards into darkness.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Once again, I'm really sorry that I made you wait so long. I promise I'll be a little more frequent with my updates from now on. If you have any suggestions as to where the kids should go next, please let me know in your review. I will also incorporate any suggestions from earlier reviews as well over the next several chapters. :)**

 **Update: I'm starting to write the tenth chapter, and don't worry, I promise that I won't take two weeks to upload each one from now on! I have a huge list consisting of over 30 more rooms to explore, and I'm really excited to write about them in detail! A lot of them are rooms that you guys have suggested, and others were mentioned in the book and both movies but they haven't been explored (such as Strawberry Juice Water Pistols and Stickjaw). Stay tuned!**


	10. Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere

Chapter 10 - Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back with the tenth chapter in the story! As I said at the end of the previous chapter, I have compiled a list of all of your previous suggestions, unexplored rooms that were mentioned in the book and both movies, and some more of my original ideas. Now, time for me to acknowledge your reviews:**

 **CVG, I'm sorry, but I highly doubt that will happen in my story. It would be kind of funny, though.**

 **Sonny April, I agree with Mike as well, and I'm glad you enjoyed seeing the Gummy candy rooms. You'll get to see many more candy-making rooms in the chapters to come! Also, I definitely agree with your statement about Violet!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about their arguments! I loved writing those scenes as well. And as I said before, I've put together a list of rooms, several of which will be ones that you have suggested. Thank you for submitting your ideas to me. Now, on with the story! :)**

Our screams echoed throughout the pitch-black tunnel as the boat plummeted backwards into the chocolate rapids, and we were at the mercy of gravity and the twists and turns of the raging river. With every sudden change in direction, the boat rode high up on the circular walls of the tunnel before crashing back down, only to ride up the other side during the next turn. I was really enjoying the ride, and the wide grin on my face proved it to everyone else as the lights came on, but no one else was grinning except for Violet. The walls of the tunnel whizzed by our heads at breakneck speed, and behind us (we had to turn our heads to see where we were going), the river was frothing and foaming as it swept us down what was probably the wildest water slide in the world.

"Violet, why did you make me do this?" Mike screamed just before we sailed around a turn that was so sharp that the boat went completely sideways on the wall. "I literally just told you, I hate roller coasters!"

"There's no other way!" Violet shouted back, laughing all the while as we careened around yet another turn. "Besides, you look hilarious!" I briefly turned and smiled in agreement. His face was pasty white and his spiked hair was blowing in the wind. Violet was howling with laughter, Augustus looked like he was about to faint, and Veruca was screaming so loud that I had to cover my ears with both hands, even as the boat suddenly dropped and I nearly flew out of my seat.

After several more twists, turns, and short drops, we finally reached the bottom of the river, where the current was calm. Violet and I were smiling (although for different reasons), and Veruca, Mike, and Augustus were panting and clutching their chests.

"That was awesome!" I exclaimed. "What a rush!"

"Violet," Mike said in between gasps, "don't ever make me do this again!" In response, Violet burst out laughing. "I mean it!" Mike growled, glaring at her.

"I agree," Augustus said. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

Veruca groaned. "Well, I'm definitely not going to ask Daddy for a chocolate river and a pink boat after experiencing this! And don't you _dare_ throw up on me, Augustus! This coat is precious!"

"Remember, everyone," Violet said in between giggles, "we have a mission to complete! Let's get moving!"

After another minute of rowing through the tunnel, we emerged into an enormous underground lake of chocolate. Several round doors lined the perimeter of the area, and beside the tunnel which we had just left was a long, wide conveyor belt that gradually sloped upwards.

"I'm assuming that's how they bring the boat back up to ground level," Mike said, pointing at the conveyor belt. "We could use it once we're done here."

"That seems like a good idea," Violet replied. "We have no time to lose."

"How about we pull up to that door?" I said, pointing to a door labeled: "SODA POP CORRIDOR". The other four kids nodded in agreement. After we carefully maneuvered the boat into position, I climbed out immediately and pushed open the large, round door before the others followed me into the corridor.

My eyes widened in astonishment as I scanned the Soda Pop Corridor, which was a narrow hallway that must have been at least four hundred feet long. There were no less than thirty doors from what I could see, and to my dismay, all of them appeared to be bolted shut.

Mike sighed. "Well, that's disappointing. They're all locked. It seems like the entire factory's undergoing renovations due to all of the locked doors. What if the key is hidden behind one of them? Then what? Will we ever get out of here? And if not, then what? I'll starve!"

"Mike," Violet said, "don't you realize that there's an entire lake of warm chocolate right behind us that you could drink to fill you up? There are ladles in the boat that you could use."

Mike groaned. "Yes, I _do_ know, and I hate chocolate! Therefore, I'll starve to death!"

"Mike, grow up," Violet said, crossing her arms. "Sometimes in life, you must do what you hate the most. Let's just keep walking in case there's a door that is unlocked. Follow me."

Violet led us down the corridor, and we passed rooms that produced soft drinks that I had never even heard of: "GINGER POP", "GINGER BEER", "BEER BUBBLES", "BUBBLEADE", "BUBBLE COLA", "DOUBLE COLA", and "DOUBLE-BUBBLE BURP-A-COLA".

"Double-Bubble Burp-A-Cola?" Mike questioned. "Is that all bubbles and no liquid?"

"I have no idea," Veruca said, "but it does not sound appealing at all."

"Ve need to find a key for zhose doors so zhat I can drink zhem all!" Augustus said excitedly.

"No, Augustus," Violet said sternly. "We're looking for one key and one key only, and that is the key to the Chocolate Room so that we can leave this place."

"Aha!" Mike suddenly exclaimed as we nearly reached the end of the corridor. "Here's a door that's unlocked!" He pointed to the second-last door, which was labeled: "FIZZY LIFTING DRINKS".

We all crowded around the door and looked inside. In the center of the room was an enormous machine with eight clear glass pipes coming out of it. A frothy, bubbling liquid was coursing through the pipes, and each pipe carried a different color: red, magenta, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Thousands of bubbles were spewing into the air from the top of the machine.

"I think we should go in and see if the key is anywhere in there," I declared.

"Fine," Violet said, "but don't touch anything. That means you, Augustus."

I opened the door, and I could almost smell the different flavors of drinks that were being produced.

"We must keep an eye on Augustus," Veruca said to me. "As much as I want a machine like this, we must look for the key together, and make sure that he doesn't cause any mischief."

"You really have changed since I saved you," I said, smiling at her. "I'm glad you're not as bratty as you were before. Now, let's go." I took her hand.

"AUGUSTUS, NO!" Violet suddenly screamed. "I said _don't_ touch anything!"

From behind the machine, I barely caught a glimpse of Augustus standing by a table and popping the lid off of a glass bottle before he guzzled it down like a can of Sprite.

"Augustus, you MORON!" Mike shouted. Seconds later, the German boy began to lift off the ground and into the air.

"Vhat's happening?!" he cried. We stood and watched in horror as he continued to float higher and higher.

Veruca and I exchanged glances. "We must save him!" I told her, and I sprinted towards the table and grabbed another bottle. Veruca did the same.

"Stop, you two!" Violet shouted, but it was too late. Veruca and I had already popped the lids off and we quickly drank from the bottles. The beverage was orange-flavored, and as soon as I swallowed most of it, I felt a really strange sensation. The liquid had turned entirely to bubbles, and my feet began to lift off the ground. Mike and Violet exchanged looks at each other as I rose higher and higher. Veruca was airborne as well after just two seconds.

"Wow," I exclaimed. "I'm flying!"

With a swimming motion, I propelled myself through the air towards Augustus, and Veruca trailed closely behind.

"Help me!" Augustus cried. "How do I get down?"

"Burp!" Mike said from fifty feet below us. "That's the only way to get rid of the carbon dioxide in your body!"

"Why on earth did Violet warn us not to drink this?" Veruca asked me. "We have a much better chance of finding the key since we can see the whole room from up here!"

"Well, I can't see it anywhere," I said after I scanned the entire room. "We must show Augustus how to get down from the air. Oh, wait, I think he's got it!" Augustus suddenly burped, and he began to slowly float back down.

"That's it!" Violet encouraged him. "Keep burping! You two do the same!"

I let out a loud burp, and I felt the gases leaving my stomach as I floated back down like a feather. My feet softly touched the ground as I landed next to Augustus, and Veruca landed a few seconds later. Violet immediately sprinted towards us.

"Augustus, Charlie, Veruca," she said with an angry look on her face, "don't ever do that again."

"I'm sorry!" Augustus defended with his arms up. "It vas too tempting!"

Violet glared at him. "That's precisely how you were sucked up the pipe in the Chocolate Room. You couldn't control your greed. And you two," she said, now looking at Veruca and I, "you know you could have just told him to burp while on the ground, right? And what's wrong with a bit of walking to look for the key? Now Mr. Wonka's gonna be mad because you guys stole three bottles of his fizzy lifting drinks!"

"We're sorry," I apologized. "It was a foolish thing to do."

"Violet, in the Inventing Room, you took a piece of gum without asking Mr. Wonka," Veruca said, "so it's not like you're free of any charges yourself."

"Veruca, you wanted to steal one of Mr. Wonka's squirrels!" Mike shouted.

"You called Mr. Wonka an idiot and you sent yourself through the television!"

"Enough!" I exclaimed, silencing them all. "We must carry on, since we didn't find the key in this room. There's no point in arguing or fighting. Let's keep looking for the key so that we can get out of here."

Violet glared at me before she hesitantly followed us out of the room, and we stopped in front of the last door in the Soda Pop Corridor. The glowing label on it read: "MAIN SUBTERRANEAN CORRIDOR".

"There's a possibility that the key might be in this corridor," Mike said as he pushed open the large, round door. "Let's go."

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter, and I apologize for it being somewhat short. The next chapter will feature some rooms that I've been really excited to write about since I began writing this story. By the way, did you notice the names of the soda pop rooms? I was inspired by the Wonkamobile scene in the 1971 movie. Anyway, feel free to review or suggest anything else that the children should do! :)**


	11. The Main Subterranean Corridor

Chapter 11 - The Main Subterranean Corridor

 **Author's note: Hey everyone! I'm back with Chapter 11, and as I said before, there are some rooms here that I've been really looking forward to including for quite a while. Regarding your reviews:**

 **Linkwonka88, I loved that scene too! I definitely prefer the 2005 version overall, but the 1971 version has its own charm as well. :)**

 **Sonny April, of course they've seen lots of rooms. The factory is enormous! I sent you the list of rooms that they've previously visited via PM so that the author's note wouldn't be so long. I think we're at the halfway point in the story, if not a little further.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, the Wonkamobile will be seen later, albeit with a slight Burton-esque makeover, of course. Plus, nearly all of the rooms in this chapter are ones that you've suggested, so hopefully you'll enjoy it! Now, on with the story!**

After walking past a few more locked doors, I noticed an unlocked door that was labeled: "CANDYFLOSS SPIDERS".

"I think we should check this one out," Violet said, reaching for the handle.

"I don't know," Augustus said warily. "I don't really like spiders."

"Neither do I," Veruca said.

"Well, the key might be in here, you never know," Violet said. "Besides, I'm not afraid of anything. Let's go."

She opened the door, and Veruca screamed at the top of her lungs once she saw what was inside.

"Oh, so you're afraid of spiders, too?" Violet said, relishing her misery. "All the better, then."

I went inside, along with Violet and Mike (Veruca and Augustus stayed behind in the corridor). A massive web of pink candyfloss spanned the entire width of the room, and dozens of large, brown spiders glared at us with their many unblinking eyes.

"Candyfloss? Isn't that just cotton candy?" Mike asked. "That's totally redundant since Mr. Wonka already has sheep that produce that stuff."

"Maybe it's used as a backup system," Violet answered. "Although it is sort of weird."

"I don't see any key in here," I said. "Let's move on."

The next door we came across was labeled: "GUM FOR EXAMS".

"Ooh!" Violet cried. "I have to see this!" Without any hesitation, she opened the door and we all walked inside.

Inside this room, at least fifty Oompa Loompas were sitting at desks, and in front of them was a thick booklet consisting of multiple-choice questions. Half of the Oompa Loompas were chewing a special kind of gum while writing, and the other half weren't chewing anything. Every Oompa Loompa's score was displayed in real time on a large screen, and the gum-chewing Oompa Loompas selected every single answer correctly.

"Knowing how Mr. Wonka makes his candies," Mike said, "I'm sure that the gum they're testing gives them the answers in their head."

"Isn't that cheating, though?" Violet asked. "I don't need that stuff just to pass a test. I'm fine with regular gum, and I don't see any sign of a key in here. Let's go."

Soon, we reached another unlocked door: "VOMIT GUM."

"Hey, this is the perfect gum for you," Mike said, nudging Violet with his elbow. "It should help you get over your addiction, if it does what I think."

"Shut up," Violet growled as we crowded around the door.

Through the window, I noticed that the Oompa Loompas in this room were sitting in front of large plastic buckets. The worker nearest to us popped a brown piece of gum into his mouth, and after a few seconds of chewing...

"Ew!" Veruca exclaimed. "I want to get out of here now!"

"Let's just go," Mike said. "This is really grossing me out as well."

"But what about the key?" Violet asked. "I'm not afraid to check this room out."

"Doesn't matter," Mike said, glaring at her. "There's still many more rooms to investigate, and we can cover a lot more ground this way. Come on."

The next door was labeled: "PIE CORRIDOR (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)".

"Wait, Wonka makes _pies_ now?!" Veruca exclaimed in delight.

"Sounds delicious! I vant one of zhem!" Augustus said.

"No, Augustus," Violet told him. "Besides, the door is locked, so there's no point in waiting around."

"Wait!" Mike said excitedly. "There's a TV by the door!"

Violet rolled her eyes. "Wow, I guess you really _are_ that obsessed with TV. Your surname suits you."

"It's a sneak peek of sorts!" Mike said. "Let's see this!" We all crowded around the TV.

On the screen was none other than Mr. Wonka himself. "I am very pleased to announce the latest addition to the Wonka product line," he said as he straightened his black top hat. "By popular demand, we will expand our world-renowned product line of desserts to include pies!" Mr. Wonka's face faded away as a long, scrolling list appeared on the screen. "These are just a few of the pies that customers can soon expect to see in stores worldwide." The list read:

Ahh-Chew Pie

Apple Pie

Apricot Pie

Bakewell Tart

Banana Cream Pie

Banoffee Pie

Blackberry Pie

Black Bottom Pie

Blue Cheese Pie

Blueberry Pie

Boysenberry Pie

Bumbleberry Pie

Butter Pie

Buttermilk Pie

Butterscotch Pie

Candy Apple Pie

Cantaloupe Pie

Caramel Pie

Cashew Pie

Cheese Pie

Cherry Pie

Chess Pie

Chestnut Pie

Chicken and Mushroom Pie

Chocolate Cow Pie

Coconut Pie

Coconut Cream Pie

Corned Beef Pie

Cranberry Pie

Cumberland Pie

Curry Pie

Date Pie

Derby Pie

Demolition Derby Pie

Fig Pie

Fish Pie

Flapper Pie

Flipper Pie

Fried Pie

Fudge Pie

Garlic Pie

Gingerbread Pie

Green Grape Pie

Honey Pie

Hornity Pie

Huckleberry Pie

Key Lime Pie

Killie Pie

Kiwi Pie

Lemon Pie

Lemon Ice Box Pie

Lemon Lime Pie

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lime Pie

Lobster Pie

Manchester Tart

Mango Pie

Maple Syrup Pie

Mathematician's Pi

Melon Pie

Mince Pie

Mud Pie

Miner's Mud Pie

Nectarine Pie

Orange Pie

Peach Pie

Peanut Pie

Peanut Butter Pie

Pecan Pie

Pineapple Pie

Plum Pie

Pomegranate Pie

Pot Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Purple Grape Pie

Quiche

Raisin Pie

Rappie Pie

Raspberry Pie

Razzleberry Pie

Rhubarb Pie

Saskatoon Berry Pie

Scotch Pie

Sea Pie

Shaker Lemon Pie

Shepherd's Pie

Shoofly Pie

Snowberry Pie

Snozzberry Pie

Southern Tomato Pie

Starfruit Pie

Stargazy Pie

Strawberry Pie

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Sugar Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

Swiss Cheese Pie

Tourtière

Treacle Tart

Walnut Pie

Watermelon Pie

Whoopie Pie

Wonka Pie

Woolton Pie

"Mathematician's Pi?" Violet asked incredulously once the scrolling list faded away. "What on earth is that?"

"Yeah, what is it?" Veruca asked.

"You know, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter," Mike answered. "I knew about it since first grade."

"Well, you should know by now that we're not as mathematically inclined as you are," Violet said.

"I did notice several desserts from where I live, though," Veruca said, smiling at me.

"Like what?" I asked her.

"Manchester tart, fish pie, Cumberland pie..."

"Okay, okay, let's move on," Violet said, interrupting her.

"Wait, I haven't finished yet!" Veruca shouted.

"I really don't care," Violet said crossly as we reached the next door: "FUDGE MOUNTAIN".

"Wait, didn't we see this room from inside the Great Glass Elevator?" I asked.

"I'm pretty sure we did," Veruca responded as she pulled open the large, round door. "Let's check it out!"

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you if you fully read the entire list of pies. It took me a while to come up with 104 different items, and those are just some of the pies that would be produced in the factory! I did some research on various pies from Canada, the US, and the U.K. to include in my list, although some pies, like the Demolition Derby Pie, Chocolate Cow Pie, and Mathematician's Pi are just the result of my clever imagination. Stay tuned for the next chapter! :)**

 **Update: Chapter 12 is almost done, and it will feature several rooms from the novel that have only been mentioned and not explored. It's in the editing process, and it should be published within the next two days, so hang in there!**


	12. Mountains, Marshes, and Mints, Oh, My!

Chapter 12 - Mountains, Marshes, and Mints, Oh, My!

 **Author's note: Hi everyone, I'm back with the twelfth chapter in the story! This chapter that you're about to read is one that I had A LOT of fun writing. It features several rooms that were only mentioned in the book, and it never went into detail, so hopefully you'll enjoy my own descriptions of each room. First, it's time for me to respond to your reviews:**

 **Sonny April, I agree with the first part of your comment. Who knew? And as for the Candyfloss Spiders, we can thank XXCandyLoverXX for the idea.**

 **Turrislucidus, I don't really know much about the musical, so I guess that was quite a coincidence!**

 **Linkwonka88, I'm glad you liked it! As for the key, will they find it? Maybe, or maybe not. You never know.**

 **Charlie Bucket, I'm not completely sure whether that will happen.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you enjoyed my interpretations of the rooms that you suggested. The Cow Shaking room sounds like a great idea, and it will definitely be included later! Now, on with the story! :)**

As soon as I set foot in the Fudge Mountain room, I gaped in awe at the sheer size of the mountain that I first saw from high above in the Great Glass Elevator. It was at least one-hundred feet tall, and the entire mountain was made out of solid fudge. There were no less than fifty Oompa Loompas on the mountain, and they were busy hacking away at it with drills, pick axes, and jackhammers. As the pieces of fudge came loose, they tumbled down the mountain like an avalanche, and waiting at the bottom were a team of Oompa Loompas who operated front-end loaders. The machines scooped up the fudge in their huge buckets before emptying their loads into waiting mine carts, which were then transported out of the room by magnets mounted on the tracks.

"I'm cold," Violet complained. "Where do they keep the jackets?"

"Over there," Mike said, pointing to a small door which led into a closet just to the left of where we stood. After dressing up in warm suits with goggles, pick axes, and avalanche beacons, we trudged through the snow towards the base of the mountain. The Oompa Loompas waved to us as we came closer.

"I think we should work our way upwards in a spiral," Mike said. "That way, the climb will not be as steep, and since we would be walking around the entire circumference of the mountain multiple times, we would be able to spot the key much quicker." And with that, we started to walk in a clockwise direction around the base of the enormous mountain. The Oompa Loompas were considerate enough to temporarily stop working each time we walked into the path of the miniature avalanches that they created.

"I like your idea, Mike," Augustus said. "My legs aren't getting very tired at all!" Mike merely nodded in response.

After nearly forty-five minutes and several revolutions around the mountain, we finally reached the summit, and the view was amazing. The tracks for the Great Glass Elevator were only twenty feet above my head, and each piece of heavy machinery at the base of the mountain looked as small as a toy.

"This is incredible," I said in awe.

"Yes, it is," Veruca responded. "The only problem is that we never saw any sign of the key in here."

"How do ve get back down?" Augustus asked.

"Simple," Mike said. "We'd just go back down the way we came. Sure, it might take a little longer than climbing straight down or sliding, but it will be a lot less painful, especially for my joints, and your butts. Let's go."

After about a half-hour of carefully descending and circling around the mountain, we were back on the ground.

"Okay, let's go," Violet said as she led us back to the closet.

Along the way, I barely heard one of the Oompa Loompas on the mountain calling out: "Good luck finding the key!"

I turned and waved goodbye before we removed our heavy gear and exited back into the Main Subterranean Corridor.

"No key again," Violet sighed. "We spent well over an hour in that room, and I highly doubt that time is on our side. Let's carry on."

The next door we arrived at displayed "EDIBLE MARSHMALLOW PILLOWS" in glowing letters. Violet pushed the door open and we walked inside.

This room consisted of a large wetland. Pink sugar flamingos were walking around the area, occasionally nibbling at the marshmallows which grew from enormous willow trees. The Oompa Loompas were trying to harvest the largest marshmallows, which were pillow-sized, from the willow trees while keeping the flamingos at bay.

"I don't see anything in here," I said. "We've already explored so many rooms that I've lost count. I wonder what will come next."

"One way to find out," Veruca replied before we continued our journey down the corridor.

We stopped outside the next room: "LEMONADE SWIMMING POOLS". We looked through the window, and the Oompa Loompas in this room wore swimsuits while they tested each pool, performing somersaults, diving, and various swimming strokes from end to end. There were in-ground and above-ground versions of each pool, and in the back of the room was a row of lemonade hot tubs.

Veruca sighed. "Nothing in here," she said as she shook her head in disappointment.

"Don't worry," I said encouragingly. "We'll find it sooner than later."

The next door was labeled: "MAGIC HAND-FUDGE".

"How is that supposed to work?" Mike Teavee asked skeptically.

"There's one way to find out," Violet said as she pushed the door open.

Inside this room, twenty Oompa Loompas were sitting in front of a table which was piled high with enormous slabs of fudge. They used a band saw to slice the thick slabs into smaller pieces, which they chopped into even smaller pieces with long, sharp knives. The workers held the pieces of fudge in their gloved hands for a few seconds before placing them on a conveyor belt destined for the packaging area if they were good, or throwing them into the garbage if they were bad.

One of the Oompa Loompas noticed us. He stood up from his chair and walked towards us with a friendly smile on his face.

"Would you like to try some fudge?" he asked us. "This is Magic Hand-Fudge. When you hold it in your hand, you taste it in your mouth! Also, it will never melt in the sun or get any smaller!"

"Vhat if you eat it?" Augustus asked.

"It would be just like regular fudge, and then of course it _would_ get smaller with each bite," he answered. "It's when you simply hold it in your hand that you experience the magic of this wonderful variety of fudge. Who wants to try some?"

"Me!" we all responded. The Oompa Loompa walked back to the table and cut a smaller slab of vanilla fudge into five individual pieces.

"Enjoy!" he said as he gave each of us a piece. As soon as my fingertips touched it, the wonderful flavor of French vanilla exploded in my mouth. I had never tasted anything like it before, and it was amazing.

"This is great!" I exclaimed.

"Can I have some more?" Augustus asked.

"No!" Violet told him. "One piece is enough." Turning towards the Oompa Loompa, she asked, "Have you seen a key in this room at all? We need it to leave the factory. It's a challenge that Mr. Wonka set up for us."

"No, sorry," he replied. "Best of luck, kids. I'll take those back, if you don't mind. It's not like you put them in your mouth, so don't worry. Besides, you probably want your hands free for when you continue exploring the factory." We handed our fudge pieces back to him, and even Augustus reluctantly surrendered his piece.

"Thank you very much," I said to the Oompa Loompa with a warm smile. After leaving the room, we walked further onward until we reached the next one: "STICKJAW".

"That's _exactly_ what you need, Violet," Mike teased. Violet whipped her head around and looked at Mike with a menacing glare. Mike held his arms up in surrender. "I was only teasing!"

" _Suuure_ you were," Violet said sarcastically. Mike turned the handle and the door swung open.

We entered a relatively small room where a sphere-shaped machine constantly churned out green candies that were in the shape of dentures. The finished candies slid down a chute which spiraled around the machine towards a conveyor belt that transported them out of the room towards the packaging area. An Oompa Loompa suddenly entered the room through a small door at the back, and he took one candy from the conveyor belt to sample it. Sure enough, once he put it in his mouth and bit down on it, his teeth were stuck together and he couldn't speak. I watched in amusement as he inserted several tools into his mouth in an attempt to pry his jaws back open. He spent almost five minutes wiggling a spatula and a knife between his teeth before his upper and lower jaws came free. He then threw the leftovers into the garbage before sticking his thumb up in approval.

"Well, that one clearly passed the test," Violet said. "I still don't see any key in here, but I'm not giving up until we find it."

The next door was labeled: "MINT JUJUBES". Looking through the window, I noticed that the Oompa Loompas' teeth were stained a brilliant green color. At the far end of the room, an Oompa Loompa dumped a load of white Jujubes from a wheelbarrow into a hopper, which fed them into a large machine where a green liquid was coursing through glass pipes. The now-green Jujubes were emptied into plastic pouches at the other end of the machine, and after they were heat-sealed, the pouches were dropped onto a conveyor belt that transported them to the packaging area.

"They're probably made to turn people's teeth green," Mike said. "It would be great for Halloween or even just to give to others as a prank gift. No key in here, unfortunately."

"Darn," Veruca moaned as we continued walking. "I do agree with your statement, though. They would be quite useful for those occasions."

The final door in this section of the corridor was labeled: "STRAWBERRY-JUICE WATER PISTOLS".

"This sounds interesting," Violet said as we crowded around the door to look through the window. Inside this room, the Oompa Loompas were squirting each other with water pistols of all shapes and sizes. They looked like ordinary water pistols, except they had been specially designed to shoot the strawberry seeds out along with the juice.

"That looks cool," Mike said with a grin on his face. "I gotta try this out!"

"I don't think they would want you in there at this moment," Violet warned. "Besides, there's no key in there."

"Doesn't matter," Mike said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm going in anyway." He threw the door open and the Oompa Loompas immediately stopped shooting.

"Uh, have you seen a key in here?" Mike asked.

"I already said there's nothing in there!" Violet yelled. "Don't disturb them!"

"Too late, I already did," Mike said, smirking. "I wanna try one of those!"

"You said you want to try one of these?" the Oompa Loompa closest to him asked. He was clutching a small, bright-red water gun in his hand, and he had a mischievous grin on his face.

"Yes, definitely!" Mike exclaimed. "May I?"

"Sure, you may," he responded, but instead of handing the gun to Mike, he pointed it right at him.

"Mike, look out!" Violet screamed, but it was too late. The Oompa Loompa pulled the trigger and laughed as a narrow, high-pressure jet of strawberry juice squirted from the gun and hit Mike in the back.

"No! You stained my shirt!" he cried. The Oompa Loompa smirked at Mike, who bolted through the doorway like a scared rabbit before skidding to a stop beside Violet. "He got me, he got me!"

"Mike," Violet said, "your shirt is black. No one will notice that it's been stained with strawberry juice."

"But I can feel it on my back," Mike panicked. "It's wet!"

"Don't be such a baby," Violet said, glaring at him. "It'll dry on its own. The air inside the factory is warm, so it should be all gone in five minutes, if that. We still have many more rooms to investigate, so there's no time to waste."

Mike said nothing, but the worried look on his face implied that he was dreading what might come next.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Next, the kids will explore a room that has never been seen anywhere except in an unpublished draft of the novel, which originally featured more than five ticket winners. Can you guess which room it might be? :)**


	13. The Spotty Powder Room

Chapter 13 - The Spotty Powder Room

 **Author's note: Hey everyone! This chapter will be short, but it's one that I've been looking forward to writing for quite a while. This room appeared in an early draft of the novel and it involved a girl named Miranda Piker. I won't divulge what happened so that I don't spoil the original story if you find an excerpt anywhere. Time to respond to your reviews:**

 **To dragonserpent18, Sonny April, and XXCandyLoverXX, I'm sure you know by now that your answers to which room it would be are correct.**

 **Linkwonka88, there were originally FIFTEEN children in the first draft (I forgot to write down the source, unfortunately), and then it was reduced to ten, and of course when the novel was published, it featured only the five children who we now know and love (or hate, depending on your personal opinions).**

 **dragonserpent18, thank you for the compliment.**

 **Sonny April, I totally agree, they really should be doing a more thorough job with their search! Quantity over quality, I guess? And if it's inside one of the machines...well, that wouldn't be very good now, would it?**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, feel free to share your vision of the Spotty Powder room in the comments. I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the Magic Hand-Fudge. And will they ever find it? Even I don't know yet! Now, on with the story!**

As we continued to walk even further down the Main Subterranean Corridor, we reached another door that was unlocked. It was labeled: "SPOTTY POWDER".

"Spotty Powder? What's that supposed to be?" I wondered.

"Let's take a look inside," Violet said, pushing open the round door. "The key just might be in here."

In the center of the perfectly circular room was an enormous steel column, and hundreds of narrow steel pipes that were shaped like oversized candy canes surrounded it. A constant stream of fine white powder trickled out of every pipe into small golden boxes that constantly revolved on a circular conveyor below. As soon as each box was full, it was ejected from the conveyor and sent to a machine which placed a matching golden lid on it.

Every once in a while, the Oompa Loompas in the room sampled random boxes by sprinkling the powder into bowls of cereal. Just a few seconds after taking a spoonful of cereal mixed with Spotty Powder, their faces and necks were covered with bright red spots that resembled chicken pox.

"That stuff looks kind of interesting," Veruca said. "It's like sugar."

"The way I see it," Mike explained, "you would pretend to sprinkle sugar onto your cereal or pancakes or whatever, and once you eat it, your parents would think that you have chicken pox. Therefore, you get to skip school for the day."

"That's what we need for the days when we have exams!" I said excitedly. Veruca and Augustus nodded in agreement.

"Look! There's a door over there!" Veruca exclaimed, pointing to a small door at the far end of the room. It was labeled: "DANGER! KEEP OUT!" I could hear the low humming sounds of the machinery below us, and the floor was vibrating ever so slightly under my feet.

"I'd be willing to investigate it," Violet said. "Let's go take a look! What if the key is in there?"

"I'm not so sure about this, Violet," Mike said worriedly. "Those machines are obviously powerful enough to grind whatever raw materials they're using to make that powder, so imagine what it could do to humans like us!"

"Yeah, like virtually all the other hazardous equipment in the factory," Violet said. "For a machine that's _that_ dangerous, I'm sure there would have to be a gate that prevents you from getting too close."

"Well, there weren't any gates that prevented Augustus, you, or myself from getting in harm's way," Mike said. "The Nut Sorting Room had a gate, but it wasn't very secure at all."

"Still, there's no harm in just taking a look," Violet said. "I already scanned this area and there doesn't seem to be any key in here, so let's go check it out."

We hesitantly followed Violet towards the door and she pushed it open. The deafening roar of the machinery drowned out every other sound in the room. After descending a spiral staircase, we stood in front of a tall gate which was bolted shut. Behind the gate was a hulking red machine that shook the walls and floor like an earthquake. A few Oompa Loompas wearing noise-canceling headphones constantly shoveled white cubes into the machine's hopper. Cogs, belts, augers, and massive stone wheels were spinning round and round, and the freshly ground powder was sucked up and out of the room to the floor above.

"I really don't think the key is in here!" Mike yelled over the noise generated by the machine. "And even if the gate is unlocked, it would be far too dangerous for us to go in there!"

"We absolutely can't give up," I said with determination as we walked back up the stairs to continue the search. "Not at this point."

 **Author's note: I really hope that you enjoyed reading about one of the rooms that were deleted from the novel! Let me know what you thought of it! :)**

 **Update: Chapter 14 is nearly done. I just need to think of some song lyrics (this is a hint for what's coming up next), and then I'll** **publish it within the next couple of days. Stay tuned!**


	14. The Oompa Loompa Village

Chapter 14 - The Oompa Loompa Village

 **Author's note: Hey everyone! Sorry about the long wait. I went through a brief phase of writer's block because I was trying to come up with some song lyrics. (I am a musician, but I really only write instrumental songs.) In the meantime, I updated my other story, Roy and the Chocolate Factory, a few days ago. This story will be my priority until I complete it, and then I'll make sure to dedicate more time to the other one. Time to respond to your reviews:**

 **Linkwonka88, you can visit Roald Dahl's website to find out more about the missing content from the novel. And yes, it would be pretty cool if Spotty Powder was a real item! (At least that's what I would have said when I was a little kid!)**

 **Sonny April, I'm glad you found it interesting. The room in this chapter is one that you have requested a couple of times (if you haven't noticed the title), so I hope you'll enjoy it!**

 **Turrislucidus, I guess I must have overlooked that fact. Oops. Your suggestion about the kids observing the different stages of the effects of Spotty Powder would have been much more in line with the original draft.**

 **Guest, that room will appear in the next chapter! :)**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, that was very interesting. I know that the swirls would have been a lot more Burton-esque, but I was actually thinking about the Inventing Room, with the black floor and steel ducts and pipes, when designing the Spotty Powder room. One of your suggestions will appear in this chapter, if you didn't glean anything from the title. :)**

 **Charlie Bucket, that should be interesting. I'll consider that room for later. Now, on with the story!**

I was quickly running out of breath as we sprinted even further down the corridor. We rushed past several more locked doors, and it felt like an eternity before Violet suddenly exclaimed, "Here's an unlocked door!"

We all stopped in front of a round door that was even larger than the other doors in the corridor. The glowing pink label above it read: "OOMPA LOOMPA VILLAGE".

"Let's check this room out!" Violet said. "This should be interesting."

"Ugh," Mike groaned. "I absolutely hate those freaks!"

"Grow up," Violet said, glaring at him. "We're on a mission, and we're going in, whether you like it or not."

Violet opened the door, and a wave of searing heat washed over us as we entered an enormous jungle-like room. The domed ceiling was about one-hundred feet high, and a huge projector displayed white clouds that leisurely floated across an azure sky. Large, spherical tree houses were suspended high up in the trees, and they were connected by an expansive network of wooden bridges. The tree trunks were mostly hollowed out, and a spiral staircase wound upwards inside each one. The ground was mostly covered with moss and large ferns.

"Why is it so hot in here?" Veruca asked. She took off her mink coat and placed it on a nearby hook.

"Remember, the Oompa Loompas are used to hot temperatures," I reminded her. "Mr. Wonka said that to us back in the Entrance Hall."

As we began to explore the area, I noticed that the Oompa Loompas in the village wore outfits made of animal skins and woven grass instead of their usual work uniforms. Some of the Oompa Loompas were mingling with each other in a large clearing near the center of the room, and others were gathering cocoa beans from a large tree which seemed to produce endless amounts of them. There were even tiny Oompa Loompa children who were happily skipping across the bridges from treehouse to treehouse.

"Excuse me?" I asked an Oompa Loompa who was busy stuffing cocoa beans into a large bag. He looked at me with a curious expression. "Have you seen a key in here anywhere?"

"No, I haven't," he responded. "You should ask our supervisor, Roy. Every single day, he inspects every room in the entire factory to see how well we are doing our jobs. Ever since we moved in to the factory, Mr. Wonka never had to discipline or fire any one of us. That's how loyal we are to Mr. Wonka."

"So, where would we find him?" Mike asked.

"I don't have any idea of his whereabouts as of this moment, sorry," the Oompa Loompa said. "However, we do have a special surprise for all of you."

"Not another song," Veruca groaned.

"Uh, we really need to get going," Violet said urgently. "Maybe later."

"We'll let you be on your way shortly," the tiny worker said with a mischievous smile. "But first..."

He whistled sharply, and the sound of drums and trumpets began to fill the room. Hundreds of Oompa Loompas appeared, swinging acrobatically from vine to vine and rushing down the stairs to the ground. Some were playing musical instruments, and the others began to sing.

 _One has done right, four have done wrong,_

 _So that is why we're singing this song._

 _We hope you'll leave with lessons to be learned,_

 _Because, you four, your prize has not been earned._

 _Augustus Gloop, the eating machine,_

 _Was stuck in the pipe, and what a sight to be seen!_

 _Violet Beauregarde, it's so wrong_

 _To be chewing, chewing all day long._

 _Veruca Salt, you little brute,_

 _You almost went down the garbage chute._

 _Greed that went uncontrolled_

 _Caused the squirrels to grab hold._

 _It was a miracle you were spared._

 _Mike Teavee, we did not regret that we_

 _Stretched you tall, tall like a tree._

 _And who, just who, do we have here?_

 _Little Charlie Bucket, have no fear,_

 _For you've done absolutely no wrong!_

 _So carry on, everyone,_

 _Cause soon it will be down to one._

 _Only one can win the prize,_

 _And we're watching with eager eyes._

 _Will you ever find the key?_

 _We have no choice but to wait and see!_

I was the only one who applauded once the song began to fade out. I glanced at Veruca, who was busy glaring at the Oompa Loompas, before turning to the others. Violet and Mike just stood quietly, and Augustus was still tapping his foot along to the fading drums.

Veruca turned around and stared at me with her blue eyes.

"I'm certain that was rehearsed as well," she said. "It was like they combined everyone's songs together, along with what was supposed to be mine."

"The _nerve_ of them, reprising their stupid songs," Mike muttered under his breath.

"That's pretty much exactly what I said to Charlie after the two of us left the Music Conservatory!" Veruca exclaimed. "I believe they should all be fired at once."

"Veruca!" I exclaimed. "Don't say that! You're in their village, remember? They might have heard you." I frantically scanned the area, but I couldn't see or hear any sign of them. Thank goodness.

"I don't care," Veruca growled. "Someday, they'll get what they deserve."

"I really think we should go now," Mike said as he walked back towards the Main Subterranean Corridor with Violet and Augustus.

"Fine!" Veruca yelled before angrily storming to the entrance. She grabbed her coat from the hook, and I quickly followed her and the others into the Main Subterranean Corridor.

"Veruca," I said before putting my hand on her shoulder, "please calm down. We must keep looking for the...AHH!" Veruca roughly pushed me away from her, and I barely managed to keep my balance as I nearly fell over.

"I'm tired of this search," Veruca growled. "I hate those Oompa Loompas, I hate this factory, and I want to go home NOW!" She cupped her hands to her mouth and screamed, "DID YOU HEAR THAT, DADDY?!"

"Shut up, Veruca!" Mike yelled. "He can't hear you, anyway."

"You can stay here, Princess," Violet said, "but we're moving on." She, along with Mike and Augustus, began to walk further down the corridor to investigate more rooms.

Veruca and I just stood where we were for about five seconds before she broke the silence. "Fine!" she shouted. "I'll come along, then!" She grabbed my hand and we ran to meet up with the others.

"Oh, I see you're back already," Violet said coldly. "I guess you're a little bit more determined than I thought."

"Well, yeah," Veruca said with a scowl. "I'll do anything to get what I want."

"And you said that _you'll_ do it yourself? Good job, best friend," Violet responded with more than a hint of sarcasm. "And to think that less than a minute ago," I heard her mumble, "she wanted to quit."

"Can ve go back to zhe Magic Hand-Fudge room?" Augustus asked. "I loved zhat fudge."

"Even after nearly becoming fudge yourself?" Violet said, snickering. "No. Besides, we can't backtrack any more. We need to keep moving."

The next few doors that we passed were labeled: "STRAWBERRY SHARKS", "BLUEBERRY BEARS", and "CRANBERRY COBRAS". To my dismay, they were all locked.

"Well, that doesn't help now that they're locked, does it?" Mike asked.

"No," Violet said, "but there should be an unlocked door coming up."

Just ten seconds later, we came across another door.

"Yes, it's unlocked!" Mike exclaimed in triumph as we stopped in front of it. The door was labeled: "SCARLET SCORCHDROPPERS".

"Great! Let's check this room out," Violet said before pushing open the big, round door. We followed her inside.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. When I mentioned Roy, that was a reference to my other story that I'm writing. Hopefully my attempt at writing lyrics turned out well. The updates from now on will be more frequent, so don't worry. Also, something major will happen to the group in the next chapter, and I'm not telling you what it will be! (You can take a guess if you want, though!) Stay tuned! :)**


	15. The Breaking Point

Chapter 15 - The Breaking Point

 **Author's note: Hey, everyone! I'm back with the fifteenth chapter in the story. I don't really think I have anything else to say at this moment, so I'll just get straight to your reviews! (Okay, I lied. There is something else for me to say. The Piano Practice Pastries that will be featured in this chapter are my own idea, so hopefully you'll enjoy reading about it!)**

 **To Sonny April and XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you enjoyed the song I wrote. It would be better if FanFiction allowed me to write sheet music, but that is irrelevant since this is a fanfiction archive and not a sheet music archive. As for the Scarlet Scorchdroppers, you'll find out shortly!**

 **Linkwonka88, it would have been awesome if that room was in the movie. I'm glad that you're enjoying my story. It means a lot to me.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, that sounds like a good idea for another story! I'll think about that, and if I get around to it I'll definitely give you credit for the idea. Also, one of the rooms you suggested from a very long time ago will appear in this chapter. Now, on with the story!**

The room that we had just entered was completely unlike anything I had seen in the factory so far. Five levels of narrow steel catwalks spanned the circumference of the room, and two sets of spiral staircases provided access to each level. The walls were covered with gauges and digital displays that measured temperature and pressure.

In the center of the room was an enormous silver boiler that was heated by jets of white-hot flames. Two small needle-like pipes stuck out of the left and right sides of the boiler, and every ten seconds, a tiny drop of scarlet liquid formed on the end of each pipe. It immediately cooled and hardened into a small pellet before it broke away and fell onto one of two conveyor belts, which sent each pellet off to the packaging area.

"So those little things must be the Scarlet Scorchdroppers," Violet said, pointing to the scarlet pellets on one of the conveyors. "Interesting. I'm guessing they're supposed to warm you up in the wintertime, but I'm not so sure how that would work."

"I would have said not long ago that it completely defies all forms of logic," Mike said, "but given what Mr. Wonka did to me..."

"You mean what _you_ did to yourself," Veruca interjected. "It was _your_ fault that you shrunk yourself down!"

"Do you see the key anywhere?" I asked.

"No," Violet replied. "It's too dangerous to get anywhere near that boiler. We really should be wearing heat suits, because I'm sweating like mad. Let's go." We quickly exited the room and continued down the Main Subterranean Corridor. The end of the corridor was finally in sight, and it was just a few hundred feet away.

The next door that we came across was labeled: "INVISIBLE WONKA BARS".

"How is that supposed to work?" Mike inquired.

"We'll just have to look inside," Violet said, and we all peered through the window. Inside this room, a group of Oompa Loompas were apparently eating Wonka bars, but it looked more like they were pretending to do so since all I could see were biting and chewing motions.

"I think these would be good for eating in class," Mike said. "No visible crumbs."

"What if the key is invisible?" Violet questioned. "I think we should go inside and check."

"No," Mike said, grabbing her arm just as she was about to open the door. "We could be looking in there for hours. There are so many more rooms where it could be found as well, and we could be here literally all night and even the next day, or even the day after that as far as I'm concerned. I'd say we should just check out the other rooms."

Violet let out a sigh. "Fine," she said. "Let's just keep looking."

"I'm tired," Augustus complained as we continued walking. "Vhere is zhe Chocolate Room?"

Violet smacked her head. "Oh my god, Augustus," she groaned, "are you _really_ that stupid? That's the room which we want to unlock!"

" _Technically_ , it's the Entrance Hall which we want to unlock," Mike said. "The _keyhole_ is what's in the Chocolate Room."

"Whatever," Violet said, shrugging her shoulders. "All that matters is that we find it so that we can get out of this freaking factory."

As we approached the next door, I heard piano music coming from the room behind it.

"That can't be the Music Conservatory again," Veruca groaned. "I hated that room!"

"No, it's not, look!" I exclaimed. The glowing label on the door read: "PIANO PRACTICE PASTRIES".

"Well, this seems interesting," Violet said, pushing open the round door. "Let's check this room out!"

Twenty grand pianos were arranged in a semicircle near the back of the room, and each one was being played by an Oompa Loompa. At the front of the room was a large table that was piled high with colorful pastries. Each one was shaped like a grand piano. A TV screen near the table read: "Piano Practice Pastries: now available in Beethoven, Mozart, and Chopin. More to come soon!"

"Hey, you!" an Oompa Loompa exclaimed as he finished a song. "Do any of you want to try these?" Augustus immediately raised his hand.

"I'd like zhe Beethoven vone," he said.

"Here you go," the tiny worker said as he handed the large boy a white pastry. "Do you know how to play the piano?"

"Uh, not really," Augustus said hesitantly.

"These pastries," the Oompa Loompa said, "will allow even the most inexperienced piano player to become a virtuoso for a half-hour until it wears off. Go ahead and try it!" Without saying another word, Augustus immediately stuffed it into his mouth.

"It's delicious!" he exclaimed. "It tastes like coconut!"

"Now go ahead and see what you can do," the Oompa Loompa said, gesturing towards his piano. We followed Augustus as he finished swallowing the pastry and sat down on the bench. He placed his fingers on the keys, and in just seconds he began to play the third movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata", and his performance was flawless.

"Well done!" the Oompa Loompa said as Augustus finished playing nearly seven minutes later. "Any other volunteers?"

"I would like to try it, but we're on an important mission," Violet said. "We need to look for a key to get out of the factory. It's the key to the Entrance Hall."

"Well, sorry," he replied. "There's nothing in this room. Good luck."

"Thanks," I said to him before we left the room and continued on.

"I highly doubt that those would be approved by very many piano teachers," Mike said. "It's just like that gum we saw a while back, the one that gives you perfect scores on your exams. I'm certain that all those pastries do is temporarily alter your brain chemistry so that you'll hit the correct notes. It doesn't make you more creative. It just makes you act like a robot."

"But Mr. Wonka made them," I said. "He could do anything."

"It's just a complete waste of time!" Mike shouted. "I don't understand why he doesn't just build a regular chocolate factory!"

"Zhen he'd be just an average candy maker, not zhe best," Augustus said as we reached the final door in the corridor, "SQUARE CANDIES THAT LOOK ROUND".

"Finally!" Mike said before sighing in relief. "This corridor was so freaking long that I've lost count of how many rooms we've explored in this one alone!"

"Wait, Square Candies that Look Round?" Veruca questioned. "How is that supposed to make sense?"

"Let's take a look," Violet said, and we all crowded around the window. Rows upon rows of long, stainless steel tables dominated the room, and on each one were hundreds of small cubes with eyes.

"Zhey don't look round to me," Augustus said.

"I know," Violet said. "They're square."

"I'm confused as well," I admitted. "They're supposed to look round, but they're square."

"What am I supposed to see?!" Mike asked, clearly getting impatient. "Do they puff up and turn into spheres when you look at them for a long time?"

"I don't know," Violet said. "We have no time to waste." She tried to turn the handle to unlock the door, but it didn't budge.

"It's locked again," Mike groaned.

"Wait, watch them!" Veruca exclaimed. At the sound of the door handle turning, the candies all turned to face the door, and their tiny eyes began to look in multiple directions. "See what they're doing? They're looking 'round!"

"Wow," Mike said in a bored tone. "No wonder Mr. Wonka wastes his time with stupid inventions like this."

Violet groaned. "Okay, you know what? Clearly, this group approach is not working. Veruca, you know I don't like you all that much, so..."

"Well, I _hate_ you!" Veruca yelled angrily. "You nearly tried to kill me earlier!"

"I was only trying to show you how much of a loser you are," Violet said coldly. "We're splitting up from now on."

"Thank you!" Veruca rejoiced.

"I agree with Violet's decision," Mike said. "We'll be able to cover more ground this way."

"Mike and Augustus, you can stay with me," Violet said. "We're going back to the boat. Charlie and Veruca, you're on your own!"

"So be it," Veruca said with a grin on her face as the other three kids began to walk all the way back down the Main Subterranean Corridor. "Finally, I don't have to deal with them any longer." She let out a loud sigh of relief.

"Hopefully this means that there won't be any more arguments," I said as we looked at each other and then behind us, watching Mike, Violet, and Augustus walk further and further away until they disappeared around a corner. The sound of their footsteps faded away, and the corridor became so quiet that I could have heard a pin drop. "Ready, Veruca?" I asked, my voice echoing all around the corridor. Veruca nodded.

"There's some stairs over there," Veruca said, pointing to a flight of curved stairs ahead of us. "Let's go that way."

"Perfect," I said. "We don't need to worry about the others any more since they're looking as well."

"We'll find the key before they do," Veruca said with determination. "I _promise_ I won't act up any more, now that my gum-chewing rival is out of sight again."

I softly smiled at her before taking her hand. "Let's finish this mission," I proclaimed. Veruca smiled back at me as we walked towards the stairs.

"We _will_ get out of this factory soon," Veruca responded. "Together."

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter! Charlie and Veruca are on their own again. To be truthful, Violet is my favorite female character (as I said to Sonny April before), so I felt a little bit sad after I wrote about the group splitting up. Now, I have a question for all of you: do you want me to just keep writing about Charlie and Veruca, or should I explore the other characters' POV's as well? Let me know! :)**


	16. The Assorted Confectionery Corridor

Chapter 16 - The Assorted Confectionery Corridor

 **Author's note: Hello, readers! I'm back with chapter sixteen. To avoid any confusion (and any "what the heck is that?" responses) for this chapter, I'll let you know beforehand that in my story, Veruca has a Motorola Razr. Remember that the year was 2005, and the iPhone and all those Android devices haven't been invented yet. The Razr was the most fashionable phone of its time, so I thought it would suit her very well. Time for me to respond to your reviews:**

 **Sonny April, I'm glad you enjoyed the Piano Practice Pastries. The idea came to me pretty much as soon as I started writing this story. As for the others' POV's, you'll find out in a little bit!**

 **ObserverOftheMultiverse, you'll get to see the other kids' POV's over the next several chapters, don't worry.**

 **Linkwonka88, that's interesting. I guess I could say that I thought Julia Winter was really good-looking! As for the adults and the Oompa Loompas, unfortunately I won't be doing that in this story. I'm just focusing on the five children.**

 **dragonserpent18, that's precisely what I'll do! You'll see Violet's, Mike's, and Augustus' POV's very soon. Where and when will the key be found? Even I don't know yet! Mwahahaha!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you also enjoyed the Piano Practice Pastries. As I said to nearly everyone else, you'll see the others' POV's in a little bit!**

 **Squirrela, thank you for taking the time to read and review my entire story so far. I really enjoyed reading your opinions of each chapter. Now, on with the story! :)**

~Veruca's POV~

Words honestly could not describe exactly how happy I felt, now that Violet was gone. The smile on my face grew as Charlie and I finished walking up a long flight of stairs, and we stopped in front of an enormous, round door that read: "ASSORTED CONFECTIONERY CORRIDOR".

"Ready?" Charlie asked as he clutched the vault-like door handle. The smile on his face was just as wide as mine. We were ready to continue our mission without any more interruptions or arguments.

"Yes, I am," I responded, and he pushed the door open to reveal another long corridor.

"My grandpa is waiting, your father is waiting, and so are everyone else's guardians," Charlie said. "There's no time to waste. We must start looking now." I nodded and we immediately walked towards the first door, which was labeled: "HONEYCOMBS & BRUSHES".

"Let's go," I said, pushing open the door. I went first, and Charlie followed me inside.

A blast of freezing cold air hit us as we entered a relatively small room which was even colder than the winter weather outside the factory. I was at least wearing my warm coat, but poor Charlie was shaking and shivering as if he was in an earthquake.

In the center of the room was a large machine which was fed by a steady stream of honey that slowly oozed through a glass tube. A freezing liquid flowed into the machine via six metal pipes, and they were so cold that the pipes were encrusted with tiny, glimmering ice crystals. The injection molds and presses inside the machine were mechanically moving up and down, and hissing noises filled the area. What came out the other end of the machine were perfectly-shaped golden combs and hair brushes, all made out of supercooled, solid honey. The honeycombs and brushes were then whisked out of the room on a high-speed conveyor belt towards the packaging department.

Every once in a while, a few combs and hair brushes were taken from the conveyor by the Oompa Loompas, who wore protective suits to shield themselves from the cold temperature. Several mannequin heads with various hairstyles were lined up on a low platform, and the Oompa Loompas tested the newly made combs and brushes on the mannequins. After a few minutes, they nodded in approval and left the room through a door at the back.

"Well, there doesn't seem to be any key in here," Charlie said as he closed the door. "Let's carry on. What time is it? I'm curious."

"Let me see," I said. I pulled out my Motorola Razr, which was studded with diamonds. I flipped it open and looked at the display. "It's nine-thirty! Wow, we really have been here for a while."

"My, the time went by fast," Charlie said. "I don't even feel tired yet."

"Good, because we can't be tired," I told him. "We won't make it out of here very fast if we are."

The next door we came across was labeled: "FUDGE FALLOUT SHOWER".

"Let's see if the key is in here," Charlie said. We looked through the window, but all I could see was a torrential downpour of molten chocolate fudge that obscured everything else in the room.

I gasped and backed away from the door. "No way," I refused. "We're most certainly NOT going in there!" I grabbed Charlie's hand and we ran further down the corridor, passing several locked rooms along the way.

"Here's a room we can explore!" Charlie suddenly exclaimed, pointing to an unlocked door which was labeled: "LEAKY CANES".

"Hmmm, Leaky Canes," I said. "That sounds kind of funny. I don't know why, but it just does. Let's see what this room has to offer." Charlie reached for the door handle and opened the door, letting me go in first.

In the center of the room, a circular platform showcased ten gigantic replicas of Mr. Wonka's cane, and they were filled to the top with assorted candies and Wonka bars. Five Oompa Loompas were walking around the platform, inspecting the vastly oversized canes. The canes had tiny knobs near the bottom, and each time the knob was turned, a random candy fell down a chute and landed behind a tiny glass door, which an Oompa Loompa opened to grab the candy inside.

"So I guess they're just like gumball machines, but they're shaped like Mr. Wonka's cane," I said flatly. "Let's go. I don't see a key in here."

"Veruca, what if the key is hidden inside one of the canes?" Charlie asked.

"We're pressed for time," I told him. "We need to keep moving." We exited the room and Charlie closed the door behind us.

As we continued walking, I began to wonder what Daddy was doing, and my mind began to drift away. _Was he waiting in the Chocolate Room, somewhere else in the factory, or out in the front courtyard? Was he making a business deal with Mr. Wonka? Was he befriending the other kids' guardians?_

"Veruca?" a voice rang in my ear. "Veruca!"

I was immediately snapped out of my thoughts. Charlie's olive-green eyes looked at me worriedly. "Your face was blank for the past two minutes," he said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really," I said, shrugging my shoulders. "I was just thinking about Daddy."

"So you're okay, then," Charlie said with a smile. "At least you weren't thinking about the squirrels. Let's continue."

The next door we reached was labeled: "CRUSTY CREAM PUFFS".

"Mmm, that seems very good," Charlie said just before opening the round door. "You first, Veruca."

Inside this room, a sphere-shaped machine was churning out dozens upon dozens of cream puffs, but these ones were three times larger than ordinary cream puffs. They slid out of the machine and onto a wide conveyor belt that was divided into nine lanes, which sorted them by flavor: vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, coconut, hazelnut, peanut, and caramel. Once they were sorted, they passed under a curtain of powdered sugar before the conveyor rounded a corner towards the packaging area.

"Nope, nothing in here," Charlie said in disappointment as we left the room empty-handed for what seemed like the hundredth time today.

"I completely lost count of how many rooms we've explored," I said. "At least we haven't started going in circles yet."

"My grandpa told me that this factory is fifty times as big as any other," Charlie responded. "I guess now I understand what he meant. The building that I've been admiring for as long as I can remember is only a tiny section of the factory. Everything else is deep underground. We already explored the lowest part of the factory, so it's just a matter of making our way back up."

"Exactly," I said with a smile, and then I noticed a door just off to our right. "Wait, I think this is an unlocked room!"

We had reached the final room in the Assorted Confectionery Corridor: "CANDY BALLOONS".

"My grandpa told me about those before," Charlie said to me. "When he taught me about the history of the factory, he said that there were spies who stole Mr. Wonka's secret recipes. Slugworth was the one who stole the recipe for the candy balloons. I say we should check it out, and who knows, the key could very well be in here."

I was going to say, "I highly doubt it," but I kept my mouth shut as Charlie turned the handle and opened the door.

The scene in this room was nothing but pure chaos. The machine that produced the candy balloons was deactivated, and there was a party going on. Loud music and flashing lights filled the room, and the Oompa Loompas were launching pink candy balloons into the air to see how high they would go. Some of them had Fizzy Lifting Drink bottles clutched in their hands, and they floated in the air in an attempt to grab the balloons from the ceiling. The other workers were completely drunk on butterscotch and buttergin, and they danced around the room, popping the balloons that were on the floor.

"I don't think it's a very good idea to be in here for much longer," Charlie said, taking my hand as we walked out of the room. "Besides, I doubt the key is anywhere in here."

"It's _got_ to be somewhere," I said. "And if we don't find it, then I'm sure the others will."

"Speaking of the others," Charlie said quietly, "I wonder how they're doing."

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Now, out of Violet, Mike, and Augustus, whose POV would you like to see in the next chapter? And which rooms should they visit? Let me know! :)**


	17. Wonka's Chocolate Farm

Chapter 17 - Wonka's Chocolate Farm

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back with the seventeenth chapter in the story! I don't really think I have anything else to say right now, so it's time for me to reply to your reviews.**

 **Sonny April, I'm glad you enjoyed the scene in the Candy Balloons room! Those Oompa Loompas sure have some interesting personalities. Also, both of your requests that you mentioned will appear in this chapter, so hopefully you'll enjoy it! :D**

 **Linkwonka88, Charlie and Veruca already explored most of those rooms in chapters 5 and 7. The Wonka Wash will be featured later, but in order to get there, the kids will have to ride in - you guessed it - the Wonkamobile! That will appear later as well.**

 **Squirrela, I wonder the same thing as well! If the factory was real (and if Mr. Wonka allowed humans to work there again) I'd apply for a job there in a heartbeat. And yes, it has been a very long day for everyone. As amazing as the factory might be, I would NOT want to be in their position!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the rooms in the previous chapter. Both of your requests will appear in this chapter. Now, on with the story!**

~Mike's POV~

Now that Charlie and Veruca had left the group to continue searching on their own, the next hour passed by rather smoothly, without any arguments. Okay, on second thought, maybe it wasn't so pleasant, considering our search had led us past the main garbage incinerator (where Veruca would have likely ended up if Charlie had not saved her), the Old Sneezes and Smells Department, and the People Poo Room.

"Seriously," I groaned, "Mr. Wonka could have done a better job with designing the layout of this place. I have no idea why the first corridor after the boat lift had to take us past those rooms."

"Mike," Violet said, "it's quite obvious that the Oompa Loompas would have to have easy access to those areas, because although they may seem disgusting, I'm sure they're some of the most important rooms in the entire factory. That's why that corridor branches off the river. The elevator can't be used since Charlie and Veruca had disabled it, therefore this is a good backup solution. And I thought _you_ were supposed to be the one who would know all about that."

"Well, it just didn't come to my mind at the time!" I shouted. "What would you do if you had to spend several minutes in a series of rooms that smelled worse than anything else you've experienced before?"

"I'd still keep looking," Violet said, "because I'm not afraid of anything!"

I smirked at her in response. "Well, there has to be _something_ you're afraid of! How about when you became a blueberry?"

"Well, I guess that was uncomfortable," she replied, "but it certainly won't stop me from chewing gum!" As if to prove her point, she blew an enormous bubble with her three-month old piece of gum before sucking it back in to continue chewing.

"Hey, I zhink I see somezhing up ahead," Augustus said, pointing to a large, round door just off to the left.

We jammed our oars into the river to stop the boat, and Violet tied it to the platform as we climbed out. The glowing blue label on the door that loomed in front of us read: "WONKA'S CHOCOLATE FARM".

"I'm not so sure about this," I said in a rather worried tone upon reading the label. "After the rooms we had just visited, I don't think I want to be around stinky animals."

"Please, grow up," Violet said. "We're going in, whether you like it or not." She pushed open the door, and we entered a relatively long corridor. "Let's find that key."

The first room we checked out was labeled: "CHOCOLATE BIRDS". It was a large room with mint grass and dozens of tall candy apple trees. Some of their branches were occupied by nests that safely held a number of tiny blue bird eggs.

The Oompa Loompas who worked in this room were climbing ladders that led to each nest, and they carefully selected the eggs that were ready to be hatched. Once they were back on the ground, they walked over to a test table where they immersed the eggs in a special solution made to simulate human saliva. The eggs melted away in mere seconds, revealing tiny chocolate chicks. They chirped and flapped their little wings before they flew away.

Once the Oompa Loompas exited the room through a door at the back, Violet spent the next few minutes climbing up and down the ladders and carefully inspecting each nest. Unfortunately, the look that she gave me after climbing down the last ladder implied that we were unsuccessful once again.

"Well, there's nothing in here," Violet said as she closed the door. "Let's check out the next area."

"Uh, Violet," I said hesitantly as we continued walking, "I'm sure you already told us what happened, but what was the juicing process like again?"

"Once was enough, Mike," Violet said. "I really don't want to talk about it again. I only appreciate what I have become." As if she hasn't demonstrated her new abilities enough already, she did four cartwheels in a row followed by two backwards somersaults and a handstand. "See?"

"Yes, I know!" I exclaimed as Violet stood upright. "At least I can beat you in a basketball game."

"Uh, Mike, look at your fingers," Violet said. They were paper-thin. "I highly doubt you could shoot, let alone hold, a basketball with those."

"Well, I remember that the Oompa Loompa who escorted me to the t-t-taffy puller said that I'd return to normal in about a week once gravity does its work on my body."

"Yes, that is true," Violet replied, "but that obviously means that you'll return to your normal height, therefore you'll only be half as tall as you are now. Plus, I can't really imagine you playing basketball. I bet you're just gonna sit on the couch and play your stupid video games as soon as you get home."

Augustus suddenly caught our attention before I could say another word. "Zhere's a door over zhere," he said as we reached the second door in the hallway. It was labeled: "CHOCOLATE EASTER EGGS".

"Great, let's go!" Violet said without any hesitation. She pushed open the door and we walked inside.

This room was very similar to the Golden Chocolate Eggs room that we had explored earlier, except instead of seven large geese, there were about fifty colorful chickens who were laying their eggs in straw-filled glass nests. As soon as an egg was laid, a trapdoor opened and the egg was sent down an elaborate contraption consisting of scoops, slides, and teeter-totters before it softly landed on a scale which sorted the good eggs from the bad ones.

"Zhis room again?" Augustus asked stupidly.

"No," I responded. "This is completely different. Can't you see that they're chickens and not geese?"

Like the Golden Chocolate Eggs room, the good eggs were indicated by a green light and a dinging sound, and the Oompa Loompas carried them towards a table, where they used several different paintbrushes and other tools to create elaborate designs on the eggs. Once the eggs were decorated, the workers carefully placed them onto a conveyor belt that sent them to the packaging area. The bad eggs were indicated by a red light and a buzzer, and the scale dropped out from underneath the egg, sending it down the garbage chute.

"Nothing in here," Violet said before leading us back into the corridor.

"Brilliant," I groaned. I was getting tired of this mission myself. "How much longer do we have to go?"

"As long as it takes to find the key," Violet said with a hint of annoyance in her voice. "Complaining will not help."

The next room we came across was labeled: "CHOCOLATE MILK COWS". We all crowded around the door and looked inside.

A large field of mint grass took up most of the area, and on each side of the room was a row of five fully automated milking stations. The cows in the room were genetically engineered to produce chocolate milk, and their bodies were brown with large black spots. Most of the cows were grazing on the mint grass, but there were a few who stood inside the milking stations. Rich, pure chocolate milk flowed through the clear plastic pipes that were connected to the cows' udders.

"I don't see anyzhing in here," Augustus said.

"Neither do I," Violet said as well. "Let's see what the next room has in store."

After a short walk, we reached the fourth room in the corridor: "MILK CHOCOLATE COWS".

"Is this supposed to be some sort of joke?" I asked. "First there were chocolate milk cows, and now milk chocolate cows. That seems strange."

"Mike, in case you forgot," Violet replied, "Mr. Wonka is behind all of this. He's a quirky man."

"Yeah, he really is a quirky man, alright," I said under my breath as Violet opened the door.

This room was similar to the previous one, except there weren't any milking stations, and the cows who were walking around the area were made entirely out of milk chocolate.

"I would really like to find out how Mr. Wonka makes his candies look like they're alive," I said. "The Square Candies that Look Round, the chocolate birds, and now these..."

"I'll admit that I'm intrigued as well," Violet said, "but we have business to carry out, and I don't see any sign of the key in here."

"Ugh," I groaned. "This search is fruitless. I can't believe I'm wasting my time here! My dad forced me to come to this stupid factory, and he was indirectly responsible for what happened to me!"

"Enough," Violet said sternly, glaring at me. "Let's continue."

The next door we reached was labeled: "CHOCOLATE COW SHAKING ROOM". Again, this room was nearly identical to the Chocolate Milk Cows room, except the milking stations were vibrating as the cows stood on them. The milk that flowed through the plastic tubes was very frothy as a result of the shaking.

"Zhey're making milkshakes!" Augustus exclaimed with delight.

"I don't get it," I said, shrugging my shoulders.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Milkshake isn't milkshake at all unless the cow has been shaken."

I shook my head. "That's not how milkshakes are made. The ingredients are first put into a blender..."

"MUMBLER!" Violet exclaimed, making me jump in surprise. "What exactly did you say?"

"Huh, you're impersonating Mr. Wonka, are you?" I asked her. In response, Violet laughed and playfully slapped me on the back.

"Not meaning to," Violet said, laughing. "And if I am, I guess it's just a coincidence."

I wanted to say, "I doubt it," but I chose to keep it to myself as we approached the last room in the corridor: "CHOCOLATE BUNNIES".

"How cute," Violet said. "Let's go in and see if the key is in here."

Violet opened the door. Inside this room was a large grassy field that was surrounded by thick bushes. Life-size chocolate bunnies were hopping around the area, eating candy carrots as well as other candy plants. Violet carefully stepped towards each bush, parting them open to continue searching for the key.

"Did you find it, Violet?" I asked her about five minutes later.

"Wait a second," Violet said as she carefully studied the last bush. She let out a sigh. "Nothing."

"Figured," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "We had better find it soon. It's actually a very good thing you're here, Violet."

"Aw, thanks," Violet said, smiling at me. "Don't worry, I'll do whatever it takes to find it. I promise."

"You promise?" I asked her.

"Yes," she softly whispered, "I promise." She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, which must have felt really weird since my body was so thin. After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled away and looked up at me. Her blue-green eyes were slowly moving up and down as she studied my face.

"Uhh, you're kinda creeping me out, Violet," I said as I slowly backed away. I did have to admit, though, that she looked pretty good even though she was blue all over.

"Sorry," she quickly replied, turning away. "You know, I actually think you look...really good this way."

"You're kidding," I scoffed. "Okay, I think I like you a little bit less now."

"Yeah, _right_ ," Violet said. "Anyway, let's carry on with our mission. We all need to get out of this factory sooner than later."

 **Author's note: I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! According to Wikipedia, the Old Sneezes and Smells Department and the People Poo Room are actual rooms inside the factory. Feel free to review and tell me what you thought of Mike's POV.** **I think I'll switch back to Charlie's POV for the next chapter.**


	18. Wonka's Premium Candies

Chapter 18 - Wonka's Premium Candies

 **Author's note: Hey everyone! Sorry that this update took much longer than I expected. (I was on vacation for the past week so I didn't have much time to write.) Anyway, I'm back with chapter eighteen! Now, time for me to respond to your reviews:**

 **Sonny April, I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. As for Mike and Violet, you'll find out later!**

 **Squirrela, that was my intention when I wrote about Violet copying Mr. Wonka's phrasing. Mike has already witnessed or been directly involved in events that completely defy all forms of logic, especially in the Television Chocolate room, so I'm sure that his mind would be all over the place by now.**

 **Linkwonka88, it's definitely hard to imagine those rooms in Wonka's factory! They were just used as inside jokes for the production designers, like Sonny April said.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'm glad you enjoyed my rendition of your request. Like I said to Sonny April, you'll find out about Mike and Violet later. As for where Charlie and Veruca's search takes them, keep reading!**

 **iluvVerucaSalt, the update is right here, right now!**

 **Charlie Bucket, the Gummy Hamsters room seems like a very good idea, and Violet and the others will explore it in the next chapter. (This is also a hint about whose POV I'm using next!) As for the BBoF room, I might include it (even though it's likely another inside joke), but I need to try and think about what it'll look like first.**

 **Random Guy, I'll probably include the Whizzdoodles, but I'm not so sure about the others since they were just inside jokes for the production designers. I might mention them, though!**

 **Tessa, I'm very glad you're enjoying it! And yes, my name is Matt (or Matthew, however you want to call it; I don't care). Now, on with the story!**

~Charlie's POV~

Over the next half-hour, Veruca and I continued to walk through several short corridors and up countless flights of stairs. I tried my very best to keep my hopes up, but I was starting to become worried since every single door we had passed so far was locked. As much as I loved exploring the factory, I couldn't help but wonder: why did Mr. Wonka decide to invite us to the factory while half of it was either being renovated or under construction?

"What's with all these locked rooms?" Veruca asked just as we finished climbing another long flight of stairs. "I don't get it."

"I don't know, either," I said. "I was wondering the exact same thing, but we have no time to waste. We must keep looking. There should be an unlocked door somewhere ahead."

We walked around a slight bend in the narrow hallway, only to be greeted by some more locked doors.

"Well, this doesn't help," Veruca mumbled before trying to stifle a yawn.

"I know you're tired, Veruca," I said. "I'm actually a little bit tired as well."

Suddenly, Veruca's face lit up in excitement.

"Charlie!" she exclaimed, pointing to a speck of orange light a few hundred feet away from where we stood. "I think that's a door that we can open, just up ahead, over there! Come on!"

Instantly, all feelings of drowsiness escaped me as we began to sprint towards the door, knowing that we would, once again, have a shot at fulfilling our mission.

"What do you think we'll do once we find the key?" Veruca asked me while we ran.

"I think we'll probably just present it to Mr. Wonka once we get back to the Chocolate Room," I responded, breathing heavily. "After that, we'll just have to wait and see whether the others show up."

We stopped in front of an enormous round door, and the glowing orange label on it read: "PREMIUM CANDIES CORRIDOR".

"So, shall we?" I asked Veruca once I finished catching my breath. She nodded and pushed the door open to reveal a long, straight corridor.

This corridor was completely different from any of the other ones we had previously visited. The walls and floor were made of rock-solid dark chocolate. Tiny, torch-like lights hung from the walls, and the arched ceiling featured an intricate swirl design that was softly illuminated by blue LED's. The four big, round doors that branched off of the hallway were made entirely out of pure, solid gold.

"Wow," I said in astonishment. I knew that Veruca's family was very rich, but I was surprised to see _her_ gaping in awe at our surroundings. What surprised me the most, however, was what she said after:

"Seriously, how much money does this guy have?"

"Considering that I only get one candy bar a year for my birthday," I said, "I can't even imagine. Just one of those doors would have to cost millions. Speaking of which, let's try that one." I pointed to the door nearest to us. The gold was so pure and so shiny that our awestruck faces were reflected in it just like a mirror. The glowing label above it read: "EDIBLE CHOCOLATE CHESS BOARDS".

"I never knew Mr. Wonka made those," Veruca said. "This seems interesting." She opened the door, and I followed her inside.

This area looked more like a woodworking shop than a candy production room. We found ourselves in a large room with a colorful checkerboard design on the floor, and several rows of workbenches took up most of the area. No fewer than one-hundred Oompa Loompas were sitting on those benches with chisels in hand, carefully carving kings, queens, pawns, Knights, bishops, and rooks out of enormous slabs of dark and white chocolate. They used enormous circular saws to cut out each individual square for the chessboard from those slabs, then they glued the pieces together with a thin coat of quick-solidifying glaze.

"Very interesting," I said. "Who knows, I just might want to learn how to play chess soon. That is, if only I could afford one of those."

Veruca smiled at me. "Charlie," she said, "I feel that we have actually become pretty good friends. You saved me, but more importantly, you changed me, and how I see the world. When we find the key, I'm going to ask Daddy for two of them, one of which I'll give to you."

My jaw dropped in disbelief upon hearing what Veruca just said to me.

"Really?" I asked her. "Th...thank you."

"No," she replied, "thank you, for rescuing me from the chute and changing my outlook on life. The others still have yet to learn from their mistakes."

"I'm sure they'll learn eventually," I said with a smile.

"We'll see about that," Veruca said. "Violet was really getting on my nerves earlier."

"Veruca, what about the key? We should keep looking."

"Right," she said with determination. "Let's do it."

We searched all around the room over the next five minutes, inspecting the areas around the workbenches and the various hand and power tools, all to no avail.

"There's nothing in here," I said just before we left. "On to the next room. Let's not give up."

The next room was labeled: "PLANETARY CHOCOLATES". I opened the round door and we walked inside.

This room was shaped like the inside of an enormous sphere. A hallway made entirely out of glass stretched out towards the center of the room. The room was nearly pitch-black, except for thousands of faintly-glowing stars that dotted the sphere's circumference, as well as a glowing orb in the very center of the sphere. Colorful, planet-shaped chocolates slowly revolved around the orb, floating in a strange, clear liquid that filled the entire area.

"There's no sign of the key in the hallway, and we obviously can't break the glass to get inside," I said. "We don't have too much time on our side. Let's go."

The third door in the Premium Candies Corridor was labeled: "CUSTOM CHOCOLATE SCULPTURES".

"Oh my gosh, look!" Veruca exclaimed once we walked inside. Standing in front of us were life-size chocolate replicas of myself and the other four kids. Each of our chocolate doppelgängers were also carefully painted with icing and glaze to add to the realism.

With the exception of his light-blue eyes, Augustus' replica was not painted at all. Violet's chocolate replica was bright-blue, and it was ten feet tall and perfectly round, like a blueberry. Veruca's replica was covered from head to toe with small, random candy pieces that I guessed were made to resemble the garbage that she would have been covered with, had I not saved her from falling into the chute. Mike's replica stood on a table, and it was four inches tall, exactly as he appeared in the Television Chocolate room. My replica's face was beaming with joy, and it stood right beside a sixth replica, which was none other than that of Mr. Wonka. In front of each one was a sign that read: "To be included along with each child's lifetime supply of chocolate". They must have been made either beforehand or during the hours that had elapsed since the tour.

"They knew," Veruca said quietly, but I could hear the tension in her voice as she examined her chocolate replica. "They knew how ugly and revolting I would look if I was covered in rubbish. I'm on to those Oompa Loompas. They most certainly planned everything beforehand, from the songs they wrote to whatever happened to each kid. Even Daddy figured it out."

"Stay calm," I said to her. "Remember that we're here for one thing, and that does not include arguments or meltdowns. Let's just look for the key, okay?" Veruca nodded and let out a loud sigh.

I led Veruca past our replicas and we entered an enormous circular room, which could very well have been a museum due to all of the life-size sculptures that occupied the area.

"Veruca," I said, "this room is really big, so I think that we should split up. I'll explore the left side of the room, and you can explore the right side, okay?"

"Got it," she responded before heading off to continue her search. I began to carefully walk around the left half of the room, and it was difficult to focus on finding the key when there were so many amazing chocolate sculptures to look at. They included a grand piano, a wolf, a cheetah cub, a bicycle, an Oompa Loompa, and even a life-size Volkswagen Beetle, complete with working doors.

"There's nothing here," I heard Veruca say from the other side of the room just as I finished investigating the area. "Have you found it?"

"No, I haven't," I said. "Let's go to the next room." Veruca cast one last angry glare at her chocolate replica before we left the room and closed the door.

The fourth and final room in this corridor was labeled: "BUTTERSCOTCH & BUTTERGIN-INFUSED BUTTER TARTS".

"Veruca, I really don't think we should go in there," I warned her as we stopped outside the door. "Those are alcoholic, and we're not old enough."

"Relax, it's not like we'll be eating them," Veruca said. "Who knows, the key could be in there. It could be anywhere. Ladies first." She opened the door and I hesitantly followed her inside.

Inside this room, dozens of freshly-made butter tarts slid out of an enormous machine, and they slowly traveled on a two-lane conveyor belt. The conveyor then split into two, and the butter tarts headed towards a submersion bath which immersed them in either butterscotch or buttergin. From there, the belts rejoined and the tarts were packed by Oompa Loompas into shiny, golden boxes.

"Look," Veruca said, pointing at the Oompa Loompas. "They're packing the tarts into the wrong boxes, it seems." Sure enough, every once in a while, a buttergin tart was mistakenly placed into a butterscotch box, and vice versa. "I'm sure they must be somewhat drunk."

"Mr. Wonka very likely has his own strategy to correct their mistakes," I said. "He would never let them be shipped in the wrong boxes."

Veruca suddenly nudged me with her elbow and pointed to a robotic arm at the end of the production line. "Apparently, he _does_ have his own strategy," she said. The robot was constantly scanning each box, both with a regular camera and an X-ray beam in an enclosed chamber. Most of the boxes continued to be transported out of the room, but the ones that were flagged by the machine were opened by spider-like steel fingers, and the arm carefully placed the incorrectly-positioned tarts into the correct boxes before sending them off.

"Very interesting," I said quietly, completely awestruck by the machine's apparent intelligence. If Mike Teavee was hired, he probably could have written the computer code that controlled the machine in less than an hour. "I think we should just carry on. We're underage, for one thing, and there's probably still a large number of rooms where it could be found. We can't give up, no matter what."

 **Author's note: Once again, I really apologize for the long wait. I hope it was worth it! For the next chapter, I'll be exploring the POV of a certain over-competitive, world-record holding gum-chewer... :D**


	19. The Wonky Candies Corridor

Chapter 19 - The Wonky Candies Corridor

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, I'm back with chapter nineteen. Before I respond to your reviews, I must first give a really big thank-you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, followed, and read my story. I don't care about numbers or any of that kind of stuff (quality ALWAYS trumps quantity for me), but when I realized how many constructive reviews and suggestions I had, I was completely astonished and delighted. Thank you, everyone. :)**

 **On a somewhat bittersweet note, I never thought I would have made it this far into the story, but we are nearing the end. Don't worry, there are still a few chapters remaining, but unfortunately, I have to bring this story to a close soon. Thank you all for your kind support, and please, hang in there. Now, time for me to respond to your latest reviews:**

 **Linkwonka88, I wonder exactly why the Oompa Loompas have such an attraction to alcohol myself. Even in the book, Roald Dahl hinted at that when he mentioned the Butterscotch and Buttergin room. (In my story, that room is explored at the end of Chapter 6, in case you forgot.)**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, the Planetary Chocolates were partially my idea and partially Linkwonka88's idea (who mentioned the "Space Candy" room a few chapters ago), so that's where that came from. As for the chocolate replicas, they would be mostly hollow, but the outer shell would be thick and strong enough that they won't crack or break under their own weight.**

 **Tessa, I'm very glad you feel that way about Charlie and Veruca! As for the Oompa Loompas, they sure seem to have a fancy for alcohol and cocoa beans. I wonder why. Now, on with the story. :)**

 **(Note: the Gummy Hamsters Room that will appear in this chapter was Charlie Bucket's idea.)**

~Violet's POV~

"I had no idea that Mr. Wonka makes such a variety of Gobstoppers," Mike said in amazement after the three of us exited the boat and entered another long corridor called the Wonky Candies Corridor. The first several doors were labeled: "GOBSTOPPERS", "GOBSTOPPER SNOWBALLS", "CHEWY GOBSTOPPERS", "CRUNCHY GOBSTOPPERS", and "EVERLASTING GOBSTOPPERS". To my slight dismay, they were all locked, but I was feeling much happier since Veruca left the group.

"I'll admit that I'm surprised, too," I responded just as we passed a locked door that was labeled: "BLACK BOX OF FROGS".

"Black Box of Frogs, huh," Mike said with a scowl on his face. "Mr. Wonka's ideas are so pointless. Seriously, some of the buttons in the Great Glass Elevator read: 'COCOA CATS', 'SPEWED DUMPLINGS', and 'MECHANICAL CLOUDS'. Tell me that they're lame, Violet, please, tell me!"

"Listen, Mike," I said in an attempt to calm him down. "I'll admit that they are somewhat lame, but he has his own twisted sense of humor."

"Yeah," Mike grumbled. "Very twisted." I sighed in response, and I had to reach up before I gently closed my hand around his.

"We're not going to get anywhere if you keep acting like this, Mike," I said quietly while gently squeezing his hand. "Just calm down. Remember that we have a winner, a.k.a. myself, on our team. No matter what, I will not give up, and neither should you two."

"Yes, I agree wizh her," Augustus said. "Ve must vork togezher."

"Okay, Violet, I'll do what it takes," Mike said. I looked up and smiled at him.

"That's the spirit," I said cheerfully just as we approached a big, round door that was labeled: "GUMMY HAMSTERS". "Let's find that key so we can get out of here as quickly as possible." Mike let go of me and he walked right up to the door.

"Violet!" Mike exclaimed as he tested the vault-like handle. "This door is unlocked!"

"Great!" I said enthusiastically. "Ready or not, let's go!" I was practically jumping in excitement as Mike opened the door to the Gummy Hamsters room.

This room looked like an enormous playground, similar to the room where the nut sorting squirrels were kept. The ceiling was practically hidden by a vast network of clear plastic tubes, and colorful gummy hamsters were playing and scurrying from tube to tube. Like the Chocolate Room, the ground was covered with mint grass, and tiny marshmallow mushrooms were sticking out of the ground amongst little patches of chocolate dirt. The Oompa Loompas working there were busy shoveling all of the mushrooms out of the dirt before dumping them into a cart to be taken to another area of the factory.

"Okay, I don't see any sign of the key in here," Mike said in a bored tone. "Come on, you two."

"But it could have been in there!" I exclaimed as I turned around and proceeded to walk back into the room. "I'd better check again."

"No!" Mike shouted. "We must press on and see if the key is in the other rooms."

I was about to protest, but instead I shrugged and said, "All right."

"Good," Mike said. "We can now carry on." He closed the door and we continued onward.

"We could maybe split up," I suggested. "You and Augustus could continue to walk towards the next room, and I'll just go back in there myself."

"Violet," Mike said, "we're here as a team, and without you, we wouldn't be as successful." He paused for a couple of seconds before continuing on. "Actually, we wouldn't be _nearly_ as successful if you weren't here, so, uh... thank you."

If my entire body wasn't blue, I bet that my cheeks would have turned bright red as Mike said those words to me.

"No, thank _you_ ," I said. "I can't imagine just being with Augustus. He's certainly not my type. You, however..."

"Hey!" Augustus interrupted. "Are you insulting me?" I shot an annoyed glare at him.

"No," I said, with more than a hint of annoyance in my voice. "I am not. You'll know about crushes and that kind of stuff when you're older."

"Actually, I do have vone on somevone vhere I live," he admitted. "Her name is..."

"We're here," Mike announced, interrupting him as we came to the next door: "GLUMPTIOUS GLOBGOBBLERS".

"That's a strange name," I said. "Let's see what this is all about, shall we?" Mike and Augustus nodded, and I opened the door.

A large machine in the center of the room was churning out brightly-colored, perfectly round candies, and they looked nearly identical to the Everlasting Gobstoppers. Most of the Glumptious Globgobblers rolled out onto a conveyor belt which led them to the packaging department, but here and there a few candies were sent to the quality control area instead. There, inside a clear glass test chamber, an Oompa Loompa used a small press to test each candy's strength before they broke and sprayed perfumed juices all over the place. The worker shook his head, and I barely heard him say to another Oompa Loompa: "Nope, it's still too runny. Maybe try boiling the liquid a little longer to make it thicker. It's supposed to just run down your throat instead of spraying everywhere." The other Oompa Loompa made a note on his clipboard and began tending to a large boiler in a corner of the room, where the juices steamed and bubbled while gradually thickening.

I scanned the room for several minutes, trying not to feel discouraged after I determined that the key was nowhere to be found.

"It's not in here," I said, "but remember, we are not giving up until we do find it! Got it?" Mike and Augustus nodded in response.

"I vant to try vone of zhose!" Augustus proclaimed.

"No, Augustus," Mike said sternly. "We've already spent many hours in this factory, and you'll only hold us back even longer. Follow me."

The next door that we reached was labeled: "SHOCKERS (DANGER! HIGH VOLTAGE!)". Mike pushed it open and I followed him inside. Augustus leaned against the door for several seconds to stretch his legs before he entered the room as well.

Inside this room, an enormous electrical generator was humming quietly. An Oompa Loompa was driving a front-end loader, and its big, yellow bucket was filled with small, disk-shaped candy pellets that came in several colors. The front-end loader drove up to a funnel next to the generator and dumped the candies into it, causing loud, electrical buzzing noises to ensue. Five seconds later, the candies dropped out onto a conveyor belt, still electrically charged. After passing through a machine which neutralized the candies' electrical charge, they were sent to a scale before being dumped into small plastic pouches, which were then heat-sealed and sent out of the room.

"There's nothing here," Mike said. "Besides, it's far too dangerous to get anywhere close to that generator. Let's get out of here." He closed the door before we continued to walk down the corridor.

"Mike," I said, "I think I'm on to something here."

"And what is that?" he asked suspiciously.

"Well," I replied, "I have a hunch that the reason behind all of this is just so that we could tour the rest of the factory. Think about it. We really only saw..." I began to count the rooms on my fingers. "I only saw three rooms on the tour: the Chocolate Room, the Whipped Cream Room while on the boat, and the Inventing Room. And the Juicing Room, if that counts, so that's four. You, Charlie, and Veruca also saw the Nut Sorting Room and the Television Room after that, so the three of you explored five rooms on the tour."

"What about the rooms that I saw in the Great Glass Elevator?" Mike interjected. "Fudge Mountain, the Cotton Candy Sheep room, the Puppet Hospital or whatever that place was called, the administration offices, and the Exploding Candy Testing Room. So that is ten."

"That's my point," I responded. "At the very most, everyone on the tour only saw ten rooms. Think about how many more rooms we visited since Mr. Wonka tasked us with finding the key!"

"Well, that does make more sense now," Mike said as his voice began to rise, "but it doesn't do anything to sway my opinion that he's just a deranged lunatic. He could have killed us one by one on this tour, I'm serious! He only cares about his stupid candies and not the safety of other people!"

"You have a point," I said, "but please, just calm down, okay?" Mike took several deep breaths before he finally sighed and nodded.

"I'm starving," Augustus suddenly complained.

"Oh my god," I moaned. "Do you _really_ need to keep whining about how hungry you are? You can eat later, once we find the key. Besides, we have a chance of finding it right in there." I pointed to a nearby door that we came across, and it was labeled: "RUNTS".

After pushing it open, we found ourselves in yet another room that looked like the Chocolate Room. Tall trees of different shapes and heights loomed above an expansive field of grass, and the trees bore various crunchy candy fruits, such as bananas, strawberries, cherries, pineapples, oranges, blueberries (I shuddered at the thought of it), and mangoes. The Oompa Loompas were climbing ladders and picking the largest candies from the branches, and then they placed the candies into large plastic bins.

"I don't see it in here," Mike said. "I certainly don't feel like dumping the bins, either. Let's go."

The next door in the corridor was labeled: "LIK-M-AID FUN DIP".

"I've never heard of those before," Mike said. "This piques my curiosity."

"I thought you said you hated candy," I responded, putting my hands on my hips.

"I said I hate _chocolate_ ," Mike countered. "Anyway, let's go in. I don't feel like arguing any more." He pushed open the big, round door and Augustus and I followed him inside.

Two different candies were being manufactured in this room. One of them was flavored powder, which came pouring out of a machine into plastic pouches. Another machine was doing the opposite: an Oompa Loompa poured white powder into the machine's hopper, and a powerful press inside compressed the powder into what looked like edible Popsicle sticks. The sticks were also dropped into the pouches before they were sealed up and carried away by a conveyor belt.

"Oh, I love zhose!" Augustus exclaimed once he realized what Lik-M-Aid Fun Dip was.

"I actually like them, too," I admitted. "I still prefer gum, though, and there doesn't seem to be any key in here. Shall we move on?"

Mike and Augustus nodded, and it wasn't long before we came across the last two rooms in the Wonky Candies Corridor: "SALT AND PEPPERMINTS" and "NAFFY TAFFY".

"What are _those_ supposed to be?" I asked. "They sure are weird names."

"There's one way to find out," Mike answered. He walked towards the Salt and Peppermints door and tried to open it, but it never budged. "It's locked. Violet, go try the other room."

"Got it," I replied with a determined grin as I cartwheeled my way to the Naffy Taffy room. To my dismay, I couldn't see anything through the window, and the handle was stuck in place as if it was welded directly onto the door. I turned back towards Mike and Augustus. "I can't get in there either," I said. "Come on. We must get back to the boat so that we can return to ground level." I took Mike's hand, and as we began backtracking toward the chocolate river, I couldn't help but wonder if my thoughts from before were correct: _was Mr. Wonka only doing this for the purpose of extending the tour? Was he trying to get us to build teamwork skills? Will there even be a key...?_

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the nineteenth chapter in the story! As I said earlier, the story will be wrapping up soon, so I'd like you all to do me a favor:**

 **To bring the search to a close, I would like to hear from you guys, so go ahead and suggest some rooms for Charlie and Veruca to explore during the next chapter! This will be THE FINAL CHAPTER where the kids will be exploring different rooms, so give me some really good ones! It doesn't matter if they end up being ones that I already included, because I'll just sort those ones out from the others. Just give me all the ideas you've got, and I'll happily include some of them! :)**

 **Update: I'm starting to write the twentieth chapter right now, and it's going to be long and exciting! Thank you for all of your suggestions, and you'll just have to wait and see which rooms Charlie and Veruca will explore next before the group reaches their goal...or will they? I should be publishing it in about a week or so, so stay tuned!**


	20. Full Circle, Part 1

Chapter 20 - Full Circle, Part 1

 **Author's note: Hey everyone! I'm back with the twentieth chapter in my story. Thank you, everybody, for your suggestions. The search for the key is almost over, and you'll just have to wait and see which rooms the kids will explore! :)**

 **As I wrote this chapter, I quickly realized that it was becoming very, very long (7,000+ words!), so I decided to split it into three parts. All three parts have been fully written by now. I'll wait a couple of days before I publish the second part and a few more days before the third, just to build up the suspense. I wish I could keep responding to your reviews individually, but that would make the author's note far too long, so for now, I'll just say thank you to everyone for your suggestions. Turrislucidus and Squirrela, who corresponded with me via PM, your suggestions will appear in parts two and three, respectively, and I will give you credit for your ideas. Now, on with the story!**

~Charlie's POV~

According to what Veruca saw on her phone, it was almost eleven at night by the time we finished climbing what seemed like the fiftieth flight of stairs since leaving the Main Subterranean Corridor a couple of hours ago. However, that was not the only surprise that I encountered at this time.

"Charlie!" Veruca exclaimed as we emerged into another corridor. "Doesn't this look familiar?"

I scanned the first few rooms in the long hallway: "BUTTERSCOTCH & BUTTERGIN", "RAINBOW DROPS", and "HAIR TOFFEE".

"Yes, it does," I said. "I think this was the Prototype Candies Corridor, if I remember correctly." I peeked around a couple of bends in the hallway, and the doors at the end were labeled: "RECREATION CORRIDOR: EAST ENTRANCE".

"Yes, we _have_ explored this corridor!" Veruca cried in excitement. "This means that we should regain our bearings again. Come on!" She grabbed my arm and we ran past the rooms that were labeled: "THREE-COURSE DINNER CHEWING GUM", "LICORICIOUS DETONATION CORD", and "EXPLODING CANDY (UNDER CONSTRUCTION)".

"There aren't too many rooms left to search, Veruca," I said encouragingly as we passed the Exploding Candy Testing Room and the Golden Chocolate Eggs room. "At least there shouldn't be, anyway. We'll reach our goal before we know it!"

"Let's do it," Veruca said, grinning. "I really want to get out of here and see Daddy again."

We ended up in what seemed like a maze of short corridors. Most of the doors were bolted shut, but after a few minutes of walking, I soon spotted two nearby doors that were unlocked: "GINGERBREAD MEN" and "COCONUT ICE SKATING RINK".

"Which one should we check out first?" I asked Veruca.

"Well, I'd definitely like to see how Willy Wonka makes gingerbread men," she replied, "so let's go there." I nodded in agreement, and I opened the big, round door to the Gingerbread Men room, letting Veruca go in first.

Inside this room, a conveyor belt slowly moved a thin, continuous sheet of gingerbread dough towards a machine which cut out the shapes for the gingerbread men. The cookies were sent through an enormous, spiraling oven before sliding down a chute, where they landed on a long table. A team of Oompa Loompas carefully decorated the gingerbread men, and they immediately sprung to life. Each one ran down the table towards an elevated track, where they hopped and skipped before jumping into boxes, which were then sealed before a conveyor belt transported them out of the room.

"That's interesting," I said. "Gingerbread men really _can_ run."

Veruca crossed her arms and frowned. "Are you really that surprised? Remember, they're being made by Mr. Wonka."

"That's why they're as good as they are," I told her. "Now let's look for that key and see if it's in here."

After several minutes of searching the areas in the room that weren't too dangerous, I heard Veruca sigh in dismay. She pouted as we left the room, empty-handed.

"We must not give up, Veruca," I said in encouragement as we walked over to the Coconut Ice Skating Rink. "Remember, any room in the factory is fair game. Hopefully it's in here." I pulled the door open and we walked inside.

In the center of this room was a skating rink made entirely from pink coconut ice. The twelve Oompa Loompas on the rink were wearing warm clothing, helmets, and body pads, and they were testing the strength of chocolate pucks by playing a hockey game. The grinding sound of sharp metal skate blades carving into the ice reverberated all around the area, along with the earsplitting sounds of carbon fiber hockey sticks hitting solid ice when the Oompa Loompas tried to shoot the puck past the opposing team's goalie. I carefully watched each of the players just in case they happened to be shooting the key around as well, but I never saw any sign of it.

"Nope, not in here either," I said as we exited the room and closed the door. "Let's get a move on."

We peeked into each of the smaller corridors to see if there were any unlocked doors, but our challenge seemed insurmountable at this point because the smaller corridors branched off into even _more_ corridors. We might as well have been inside a rabbit burrow.

"Stay with me, Veruca," I said, and she grabbed my hand as we began to run. "It would be terrible if we got lost in here."

With Veruca in tow, we turned left, then right, then left, and then left again as we frantically searched for an unlocked door. The wind rushed past my ears while we sprinted down another long corridor, and after one last turn to the right...

"Finally!" Veruca exclaimed as we arrived at an unlocked door, which was labeled: "COTTON CANDY SHEEP". "The question now is: how will we get back out of here once we're done?"

"I don't know," I responded. "We'll just have to keep searching the corridors. I'm sure we'll find our way back to where we were soon enough."

"Wait," Veruca said, looking at the glowing, pink label on the door. "Cotton Candy Sheep... I'm sure we took a glimpse at that area when we rode the Great Glass Elevator to the Television Chocolate room."

"You're right, Veruca. Let's take a look," I suggested as I began to open the door. "You never know, the key just might be in here."

I was greeted with a familiar sight as we walked inside. There was pink, fluffy cotton candy everywhere: on the floor, in the big glass storage containers, and mounds of it practically covered the platform where the sheep had their wool sheared off. I even noticed the tracks for the Great Glass Elevator behind a long panel of glass at the far end of the room.

The sound, however, was not familiar. The room was dead quiet, and there wasn't a single sheep or an Oompa Loompa in sight.

"Okay, so I guess the whole room is ours to explore," I said to Veruca. "Ready for another shot at finding the key?" She nodded in response, and we split up. She proceeded to examine the floor, and I walked up onto the platform in the center of the room. The spiraling glass tubes that sucked the wool into the containers were completely empty, which reassured me that if the key was to be found in here, it would be a fairly easy task, so long as I looked carefully.

After about half an hour of rummaging through heaps upon heaps of sticky, pink cotton candy, I sighed in disappointment.

"The key isn't anywhere over here," I said. "Did you find it, Veruca?"

"No," she responded as she stood up. "I looked all over the floor and underneath all of the cotton candy, and I haven't seen any sign of it, either. Let's get out of here. I bet it's almost midnight by now."

"Really?" I asked. "Did the time actually go by that fast?" Veruca dug out her phone and flipped it open. Sure enough, it displayed 11:50 PM on the screen.

"Let's go," Veruca said, and we left the Cotton Candy Sheep room, closing the door behind us.

We raced past a few more locked rooms before we found ourselves in a wide corridor with several large, round doors on both sides of it. The first few doors were labeled: "LAFFY TAFFY", "BOTTLE CAPS", "PIXY STIX", and "NERDS", and an illuminated sign read: "OTHER CONFECTIONERY, RAW INGREDIENTS, AND SUPPLIES CORRIDOR".

"We've already been in this area," I said, but then my face lit up in excitement as I realized something. "Veruca, this was actually where we began our search! Remember the Pixy Stix room and how we were attacked by the security pixies? Maybe we could have another go at finding the key in there!"

"I'm not sure about that," Veruca said nervously. "If those pixies are still there, then..."

"I guess you're right," I said, "but there's no harm in just trying. That's what Violet would say." I walked towards the door and proceeded to open it, all to no avail. "It's locked. Veruca, maybe you could check out the Nerds room."

"Right," she said with determination. I eagerly watched her as she began to turn the handle, only to sigh in disappointment. "The Nerds room is locked, too! Bloody hell!"

"Well, there are still a few other doors ahead," I told her, pointing to the remaining three doors in the vicinity: "LUMINOUS LOLLIPOPS", "DREAM CANDIES", and "ICE CAVE". The door to the Ice Cave was bolted shut, but the other two rooms were unlocked.

"I remember seeing those doors from quite a while ago," Veruca remarked, "but we didn't go in because the pixies attacked us before we could do so. Now that we're here, let's check them out now!"

I opened the door to the Luminous Lollipops room, letting Veruca go in before me. Loud, booming dubstep music filled my ears before my eyes adjusted to the darkness. The room was nearly pitch-black, except for the glowing, fluorescent-green lollipops that the Oompa Loompas inside were waving like how one waves a lighter at a concert.

"It's gonna be next to impossible to find the key in here," I said over the noise. "It could be in this room for all I know, but it's way too dark. Let's just move on."

We stopped outside the sixth door in this area, "DREAM CANDIES".

"If we had not been attacked by those pixies," Veruca said, "this would have been the next room I wanted to see."

I glanced at Veruca as I began to open the door. "Then let's go. We're here right now," I said with a smile. She nodded, and we walked inside.

The Dream Candies room was a large, circular room, dominated by a blue-and-purple swirl design on the floor which surrounded a tall, blue machine in the center of the room. Rows upon rows of short wooden beds were positioned by the perimeter of the room, and all of them were occupied by Oompa Loompas, who were fast asleep.

The machine was constantly ejecting tiny, colorful, tablet-like candies onto a conveyor belt below. It was divided into narrow lanes so that the candies were in single file and facing in the same direction as they proceeded to be weighed on scales and dumped into small, transparent containers. While I watched the candies move along the conveyor, I realized that these were the same candies that sedated me in the Puppet Hospital and Burns Center.

"We shouldn't wake them up," I whispered to Veruca one minute later.

"Charlie," Veruca whispered back, "the machine is louder than we will be, so I don't think that will happen."

"But what if the key is under the bedsheets?" I asked her in a worried tone.

Veruca thought for a moment before answering my question. "Well, I think that for now, we should just focus on finding it without disturbing the Oompa Loompas. Come on."

We began to carefully search the floor, as well as the spaces between and underneath each bed.

"Be careful," I reminded Veruca as she knelt down to look underneath one of the beds. "Don't disturb them."

"It's not under here," she mumbled, her words barely audible. I proceeded to duck underneath another bed to continue searching, but as I began to do so, my hands came down onto the mattress where an Oompa Loompa was sleeping, and I shifted it ever so slightly to the side. The Oompa Loompa began to stir and he groggily opened his eyes.

He still wasn't completely aware that we were here, but he did utter various sounds that the other Oompa Loompas understood. One by one, the little men awoke, and just twenty seconds later, fifty pairs of eyes were focused on us like laser beams.

"You woke them up! Run!" Veruca exclaimed as she hurried towards me. She grabbed my hand and we sprinted out of the room before closing the door. "I thought you were the one who wanted us to be silent, and look what you did!"

"It was an accident, Veruca!" I told her. "I didn't mean to do so. Plus, I'm not sure why you were so scared and made me run like that. Mr. Wonka tasked us with finding the key. It's not like we're stealing it."

"They were sleeping!" she yelled. "They worked for the whole bloody day, remember?"

"Veruca, most of them are likely sleeping in the village," I said. "The Oompa Loompas in that room were only testing out the candy."

Veruca sighed. "I suppose you're right. I'm sorry that I overreacted again. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Veruca, of course I will," I reassured her. "We all have the potential to learn from our mistakes. That's why mistakes happen. Now, let's keep up the search."

We walked further onward, passing the locked door to the Ice Cave. Unlike last time, we were totally free to explore the rest of the corridor, and now I was more determined than ever to find the key.

After a few minutes of walking in silence, I noticed another door off to my left. The glowing blue label on it read: "CHOCOLATE PALACE CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS".

"I'm guessing that's where the bricks and furniture for Prince Pondicherry's palace was built," I said. Veruca had a look of confusion on her face.

"Who's Prince Pondicherry?" she asked.

I proceeded to tell her the story that Grandpa Joe told me quite some time ago.

"Shouldn't it have been obvious that the weather is hot in India?" Veruca asked me a few minutes later.

I replied with, "Mr. Wonka told the Prince, 'Yeah, but it won't last long. You'd better start eating it right now.' The Prince insisted that he'd rather live in his palace than eat it, but like you said, the weather in India can be very hot. In the end, the entire palace melted to the ground."

"Wow," Veruca said in astonishment. "Then why would Mr. Wonka still be manufacturing those building materials?"

"That's a good question," I responded, pushing open the big, round door. "However, we're here for the key. You first, Veruca."

Inside this room, heaps and heaps of chocolate bricks were stacked onto steel pallets, and they were bound together with ribbons and clear plastic wrap. A label on one side of the pile read: "Never-Melting Chocolate Bricks".

"Ah, so I guess Mr. Wonka quickly learned from his mistake," I said. "I wonder if he ever built a new palace for Prince Pondicherry out of those materials, now that the technology is available. I'm assuming that he now makes his chocolate the same way he makes his never-melting ice cream."

As we walked around the enormous room, I noticed a collection of iron casting molds for sinks, bathtubs, and even toilets. At the far end of the room was an enormous boiler where hot, melted chocolate was bubbling away. An Oompa Loompa used a crane to lift one of the heavy casting molds for a brick into place beside the boiler. Once the mold was carefully set down into position, the crane maneuvered a funnel underneath a pipe that stuck out of the side of the boiler. Seconds later, steaming hot chocolate came pouring out through the funnel and into the chocolate-brick mold. Another Oompa Loompa slowly emptied a big container of liquid nitrogen combined with another substance into the mold, and the brick solidified in mere seconds. The mold was opened up and a forklift carried the newly formed chocolate brick towards an empty pallet before the process was repeated again.

"I think this place is too dangerous," I said. "We probably shouldn't be in here. Let's just carry on."

We exited the room and walked across the hall towards a door that was labeled: "LICKABLE WALLPAPER".

After opening the door, we found ourselves in an empty square room with white walls, a white floor, and a white ceiling. Three of the walls were covered with pictures of fruit.

"Clearly, the key is not anywhere in here," Veruca said, "but I sure would like to know how this wallpaper works."

"We really should hurry," I said urgently. "There are still more rooms to search."

"It'll only be a minute or so," Veruca told me. "Let's just try it." I nodded, and we walked in opposite directions so that I was at one end of the room and Veruca was at the other. I licked a picture of an orange, and the tangy flavor of the fruit practically exploded on my tongue. I then tried a pineapple, a plum, a banana, a strawberry, and a...

"Don't try the snozzberry!" Veruca warned just as my tongue was a fraction of an inch away from licking one. "It tastes absolutely terrible!" I immediately backed away and looked at her.

"Snozzberry? What is that?" I asked.

"You won't want to know," Veruca said in a rather disgusted tone. "There's no key in here, as I already said, and we really shouldn't be getting distracted like this." We left the room and continued on down the corridor.

"Weren't you the one who distracted me, though?" I asked Veruca. "You suggested that we lick the wallpaper."

"I know," she replied, "but we shouldn't _continue_ to get distracted. I guess I must be getting really tired now, since I keep saying one thing and doing another."

"I understand, Veruca," I said. "I'm actually sort of tired as well, but I'm not letting that stop myself, and neither should you. Let's keep looking."

The next door we came across was labeled: "WILLY OR WON'T HE".

"Willy or Won't He? I wonder if that could mean something," I said. "That is a rather strange name for a room."

"Let's check it out and see if the key is anywhere in here," Veruca suggested. I pulled open the big, round door and we walked inside.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the first part of chapter twenty! The second part will be uploaded in a couple of days, so as Mr. Wonka said, "Don't lose your heads! Don't get overexcited! Just keep very calm." Credit goes to Turrislucidus for suggesting the "Willy or Won't He" room.**

 **Update: I think I'll actually publish Part 2 early, as in tomorrow instead of waiting until Saturday, because I'll be extremely busy that day. I hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am! Stay tuned!**


	21. Full Circle, Part 2

Chapter 20 - Full Circle, Part 2

 **Author's note: Hello, readers! I'm back with the second part of chapter twenty! Time for me to respond to your reviews:**

 **Squirrela, the kids' situations may seem bad right now, but they will only get worse over the next couple of chapters! You've been warned!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, there is a further meaning to the chapter title, and you'll find out why sooner than later! I'm glad you enjoyed the Cotton Candy Sheep room. Prince Pondicherry's story was also one of my favorite scenes from the movie, and I just thought it would be cool for Charlie and Veruca to explore the area where the bricks and furniture are manufactured.**

 **Guest, we are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams.**

 **dragonserpent18, I completely agree with your statement! It's definitely the best (and dirtiest) joke that Roald Dahl has ever come up with!**

 **VerucaBeyotch, you'll find out what the "Willy or Won't He" room is all about very soon, and Veruca knows how snozzberries taste because she licked one in the Lickable Wallpaper room. Now, on with the story!**

 **(Note: Credit for the "Willy or Won't He" room and the "Wizard of Oz" scene goes to Turrislucidus, so if you're reading this, thank you for the idea!)**

My breath was immediately taken away once Veruca and I set foot in the room called "Willy or Won't He", which I actually thought was quite a clever name on Mr. Wonka's part. The area looked like a casino, and rows upon rows of slot machines, roulette wheels, and poker tables occupied the massive room. The room was lit by wavy, ribbon-like neon lights in the ceiling that constantly changed color.

A group of Oompa Loompas were sitting around one of the poker tables. They were playing a version of poker where, instead of gambling for money, they gambled for cocoa beans.

"Well, so we meet again," a familiar voice said from behind us. We both turned around to see three silhouettes walking into the room and heading towards us. To my surprise, they were Violet, Mike, and Augustus. Veruca glared at Violet as soon as they saw each other.

"Did you two have any luck with finding the key yet?" Mike asked as he stopped in front of us, and I shook my head in response.

"No, we didn't," I replied. "Were you successful?"

"No, but we have explored just about every room we could," Violet said with her eyes locked onto Veruca. "I'm sorry about how I treated you earlier, Veruca. I promise I won't be so mean to you anymore. Please forgive me."

"Let's see how long it takes before _that_ promise is broken," Mike mumbled. Violet looked at him.

"Uh, you really shouldn't mumble," Violet said, "because I can't understand a single word you're saying!" To my amusement, I then realized that she was giving an impression of Mr. Wonka, and I barely managed to stifle a laugh. "Anyway," Violet said, turning to face Veruca, "will you _please_ forgive me?"

The British girl sighed. "As long as you do indeed keep your promise," she told Violet, "I'll forgive you. Let's be friends."

"Best friends," Violet affirmed, but this time her voice sounded sincere, unlike in the Entrance Hall, where I could tell they were faking it. I smiled at them, hoping that this new friendship would last at least long enough that we could team up again and finish our mission.

"The question now is: how did we just so happen to meet up again in this room?" Mike asked.

"It's called a coincidence," Violet told him. "Ever heard of that before?"

"Well, of course I have!" Mike spluttered. "I'm not stupid!"

"Uh, you were definitely being stupid when you sent yourself through the television," Veruca said. "Remember, I saw you there and I happily pressed the button to send you on your merry way."

"I am vondering somezhing about Mr. Vonka, zhough," Augustus said. "Vill he or von't he tell us vhere zhis key is? Vhat do you zhink?"

"That explains why this room is named the 'Willy or Won't He' room," Mike said. "To add to Augustus' question, will he or won't he even let us out of here?"

Violet frowned at Mike. "Well, shouldn't it be obvious? He would _have_ to let us out at some point," she told him. "I'm sure the man at least understands that we all have personal lives outside the factory."

"Why not just ask one of the Oompa Loompas?" I suggested. "I'm sure they'd be able to help us."

"Ugh, those freaks," Mike groaned under his breath. "Fine, if you want to do so, go ahead."

I proceeded to walk over to one of the poker tables just as the Oompa Loompas finished a round. I noticed that they were not only gambling for cocoa beans, but they were also taking bets on what Willy was planning to do, or not do. Veruca, Violet, and Augustus followed me from behind, and Mike hesitantly joined us a few seconds later.

"Well, well," one of the Oompa Loompas said as he noticed us. "It seems that you kids have been asking the same question that we're betting on. I will tell you something: one of Willy Wonka's favorite movies is 'The Wizard of Oz'. Have any of you seen it?" I raised my hand, and so did everyone else except Augustus.

"Why should we care about that movie?" Mike asked rudely. "What does that have anything to do with finding what we're looking for?"

"Because in the movie, if you're looking for something," I answered, "you shouldn't look any further than your own backyard. If it isn't there..."

"But we're not in our own backyards!" Mike whined.

"We're in his, though," I told him. "If that's the case, then who knows, the key just might be near the door underneath the candy pavers."

"Okay," Violet said, "we must come up with a plan and reach a consensus. There is a very strong possibility that the key might be there, because that is something that Mr. Wonka would likely do. However, there is also a chance that it could be in another room, and if we just go straight to the Chocolate Room, we could be missing several more potential opportunities to find it. Remember, any room in this factory is fair game, and I'm doing whatever it takes to find the key, even if it means that we'll take a little longer as we explore the remaining rooms. Who's with me?"

"Violet's right," Mike said. "I am tired, yes, but I think the extra effort would be worth it. You, Augustus?"

"Yes, let's do it," he replied eagerly. "Ve don't vant to disappoint Mr. Vonka now, do ve?"

"Something tells me that it's probably just in the Chocolate Room, according to what the Oompa Loompa told us," I said. "But, like you said, there is a possibility that the key might be in another room. I'm in, Violet."

"I'm in as well," Veruca affirmed. "Let's do this."

"Try to stay positive," I reminded the others. "We're in this as a team again, and I don't want any more tension between us like what happened last time. We're here for one purpose, and we must work together. Let's go."

I looked back at the Oompa Loompas, who were beginning a new round of poker as we walked out of the room. Violet closed the door, and the five of us stood in the hallway.

"Shall we move on?" Mike asked.

"Definitely," Violet replied, and we resumed our search, walking down the corridor as a group of five once again. A few minutes later, we came across a large, round door that was labeled: "CANDY WEAPONS".

"Now _this_ seems like my kind of room," Mike said, grinning as he opened the door.

We found ourselves in an enormous, circular room, and many different kinds of guns hung on the wall at the left side of the room, ranging from small handguns to enormous artillery rifles. Glass bins underneath each gun held its ammunition, which was made of several different kinds of candy, including weapon-grade Gobstoppers and Exploding Candy. To the right of the guns was a display of archery equipment, including bows with licorice strings and spearmint arrows. Next to those, a glass display table showcased swords and shields that were made from colorful rock candy. At the right side of the room, there was a row of cannons which also used weapon-grade Gobstoppers, but these were five times larger than ordinary Gobstoppers. Lastly, in the very center of the Candy Weapons room, a tall pillar made out of bulletproof glass was filled to the top with exploding candy grenades, rolls of Licoricious Detonation Cord, and artillery shells.

"What if the key is inside there, among the shells?" Mike asked, pointing at the glass pillar. "It could be a possibility."

"I highly doubt that, Mike," Violet said, crossing her arms. "I don't see the key anywhere on the floor, so let's check the perimeter of the room."

While I searched for the key along with the other kids, I couldn't help but admire the craftsmanship that went into most of the weapons, including the guns, bows, and cannons. They even featured Wonka's signature logo, a swirly "W" where the swirl on the right reached far over the plain letters "ONKA", like the tentacle of an octopus yearning for a meal.

"I don't see it anywhere," Violet announced from across the room about five minutes later.

"Neither do I," Mike said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Same," Augustus said, letting out a big yawn. "I'm tired."

"We can't give up," Violet told us. "We should find it sooner or later, now that we're a team of five again." We exited the room and continued to walk down the corridor, passing a few more doors that were bolted shut. I was still in disbelief that this was the first corridor that Veruca and I checked out, and yet there was still far more to see than I originally thought.

"I really would like to know what this special prize is and who gets it," Mike stated. "On the ticket, it said, 'One of you lucky five children will receive an extra prize beyond your wildest imagination.' Of course, I don't care about the lifetime supply of chocolate, since I hate that stuff. I could just let my parents have it since they actually enjoy chocolate. But if that's not the grand prize, then what is?"

"The best kind of prize is a SUR-prize!" Violet responded with a little laugh at the end.

"Where'd you hear that?" Mike asked. "You weren't with us when Mr. Wonka said that to me!"

"Uh, you told me all about it when we began searching for the key, remember?" Violet said, crossing her arms.

Mike sighed. "Okay, I suppose I remember. But how did you..."

"Hey, zhat's vhere I vas!" Augustus suddenly exclaimed, interrupting Mike as we reached the next door. It was labeled: "FUDGE ROOM".

Violet smirked at Augustus. "Great, now we get to see how Augustus-Flavored Chocolate-Coated Gloop is made," she joked.

"Hey! Don't insult me like zhat!" Augustus defended.

"I was only joking, okay?" Violet said, trying to stifle a giggle. "Anyway, in we go!" She opened the large, round door and we entered an enormous room.

Inside the Fudge Room, dozens of gargantuan mixing barrels towered high above us. The barrels were encircled by narrow blue catwalks, and hundreds of glass pipes supplied the barrels with melted chocolate, fresh from the chocolate river. Enormous mixers with paddle-like blades lowered themselves into the barrels and began to stir the chocolate around.

The row of barrels in front of us were labeled: "Chocolate Fudge", "Vanilla Fudge", "Strawberry Fudge", "Strawberry-Flavored Chocolate-Coated Fudge", and "Chocolate-Flavored Strawberry-Coated Fudge". There were more than ten rows of barrels behind them, but I couldn't see their labels.

"So that's where you ended up, Augustus?" I asked him, pointing to the Strawberry-Flavored Chocolate-Coated Fudge barrel.

"Yes," he replied. "I vish I vas still covered in fudge, zhough, because it tasted so good."

"Go ahead and jump into the barrel, then," Violet said to him with a mischievous grin on her face. "I dare you."

"No!" Augustus shouted. "I don't feel like doing it again, okay?"

"All right," Violet said, "but still, I'd love to see you covered in fudge again!"

"We have a mission to complete, you two," Mike reminded them. "Let's go up and ask those... _freaks_ where the key is. Follow me."

He led us to a spiral staircase that wound its way upwards, and soon we reached the catwalks. From high above, the barrels looked like swimming pools, and the rich, creamy chocolate was swirling around like a whirlpool as the mixer did its work. On the catwalk across from where we were, long ropes dangled from the ceiling, as if the Oompa Loompas had been rehearsing something earlier.

A loud _whoooosh_ sounded from one of the barrels, and its supply of chocolate was quickly sucked down a drain and into an enormous glass pipe, which carried it to one of the fudge boilers at the far end of the room.

"On second thought, Augustus, maybe you really _should_ dive into one of those barrels," Violet said. "What if the key is in there?" One of the Oompa Loompas giggled and pointed at Augustus and then at the barrel as if saying, "Do it!"

"Uh, I don't know about this," Mike warned. "I highly doubt that the key would be in any of them, because if it was, it would have been dumped into the boiler long ago, and there would have been a key embedded in one of Wonka's fudge pieces."

"Aw, what the heck," Violet said, dismissing him. Augustus was standing dangerously close to the edge, looking into the barrel. She whispered barely loud enough for me to hear: "Let's do it, now that Mr. Wienerschnitzel isn't looking. On the count of three..."

"No!" Mike shouted, but Violet quickly nudged Augustus from behind with her elbow, and the German boy lost his balance, screaming as he fell headfirst into the barrel of hot, melted chocolate.

"There we go, now one kid is gone," Violet said, pretending to dust her hands off. "He wasn't even much of a help to us, anyway. Just be lucky that you were spared, Veruca."

"Shut up, blueberry," Veruca growled. "I should have known that your apology was fake all along!"

"Whatever, Princess," Violet mumbled and glared at Veruca before turning her attention back to the barrel.

Augustus' head emerged, and since he couldn't swim, he flailed helplessly in the barrel of chocolate. The sound of saxophones and trumpets suddenly began to fill the room, and a 1940's-style jazz tune started to play.

"Look!" Violet exclaimed, pointing to the catwalk that was on the other side of the barrel. "The Oompa Loompas are gathering!" Sure enough, fifty of the little workers appeared on the catwalk, and some of them were performing acrobatic moves over the barrel using the ropes that dangled from the ceiling.

"Here we go again," Mike moaned.

The music crescendoed as the Oompa Loompas above the barrel vaulted onto the catwalk to join the others, and they all began to sing.

 _They say that history repeats itself,_

 _In every book lying on the shelf._

 _And that is why we've gathered here,_

 _Don't worry, children, have no fear._

 _Gloop's about to turn to fudge,_

 _Gloop's about to turn to fudge._

 _All he needed was a nudge,_

 _And now Gloop's about to turn to fudge._

 _Augustus Gloop, you're here again,_

 _How are you, and how've you been?_

 _The pipe had certainly squeezed him lean,_

 _He's set to go through the fudge machine._

 _Gloop's about to turn to fudge,_

 _Gloop's about to turn to fudge._

 _All he needed was a nudge,_

 _And now Gloop's about to turn to fudge._

 _We yearn and yearn for the end result,_

 _As long as he's with an adult._

 _So we will send Mother his way,_

 _And she will brighten up his day._

 _Or maybe the greedy boy will stay,_

 _Inside the fudge boiler the entire day._

 _Gloop's about to turn to fudge,_

 _Gloop's about to turn to fudge._

 _All he needed was a nudge,_

 _And now Gloop's about to turn to fudge!_

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed the second part of chapter twenty! Aren't those Oompa Loompas delightful? Aren't they charming? Anyway, part three will be published in a few days, so hang in there, everyone! :)**

 **Update: I think I've kept you guys waiting long enough. I'll publish part three either tomorrow or Friday.**


	22. Full Circle, Part 3

Chapter 20 - Full Circle, Part 3

 **Author's note: Hey everyone, sorry about the long wait! I actually did that on purpose so that I could build up some suspense to prepare for the ending of the story. I hope I didn't torture you guys too much! There are only two chapters left after this one, and then I'll have to wrap it up. (Remember that Full Circle was supposed to be one big chapter, but I split it into three parts due to its length, and this is the final part.) Time for me to respond to your reviews! :)**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, I'm VERY glad you enjoyed the "Willy or Won't He" room, which was Turrislucidus's request. In regards to Augustus, I just thought it would be funny to have him covered in chocolate again! And when will they find the key? You'll (finally) find out soon!**

 **Linkwonka88, oh yes, yes, I turned poor Augustus into fudge again! As for Violet... I guess she never learned her lesson!**

 **agentdemigod, cocoa beans are pretty much all they think about. Mr. Wonka even pays their wages in cocoa beans, if you'll recall from the movie. I'm glad you enjoyed the Candy Weapons room as well. I had lots of fun imagining the area while writing it!**

 **Squirrela, you'll have to wait and see how long the girls' friendship will last, if ever! And yes, there is definitely tension building within the group! You'll find out what will become of this as things escalate! Also, the room that you suggested will be featured in this chapter. Now, on with the story!**

"Well, it seems like Augustus has left the team," Violet said coolly. "He barely even helped us, anyway, so let's carry on."

We continued to walk down the corridor as a team of four. Mike and Violet led the way, and Veruca and I followed closely behind.

"Clearly that song was rehearsed as well," Mike remarked. "I'm certain they knew that we would be investigating each and every room. That Oompa Loompa gestured for Augustus to jump into the fudge mixing barrel, and then they performed their stupid song with perfect knowledge of the current situation. Not to mention that they got the dancing and the orchestration down-packed. Sorry, Mr. Wonka, but those songs were not improvised at all. They _had_ to have practiced."

"Not to mention what we saw in the Music Conservatory," Veruca added. "Our songs were fully written in sheet music, and Charlie didn't have a song of his own, which obviously means that every single thing about this tour was planned out beforehand. I'm certain of that."

"I actually have to agree with you, Veruca," Violet said. "In fact, one of the rooms that we encountered earlier on our search was the costume department, and I noticed a rubber ball that was as big as I was when I became a blueberry. I have a hunch that before the tour, the Oompa Loompas took it to the Inventing Room and practiced their dance routine on that."

"How did they practice for Augustus' dance in the Chocolate Room?" I asked. "I doubt that they would have stuck anything or anyone in the pipe that time."

"My guess is that they just practiced their routine," Mike answered, "and they ran the pipe like normal while moving it into position, lowering it, and raising it back up after."

"That does make sense," I said while nodding. I couldn't believe that just yesterday, I was in awe while touring the factory and during the first few hours of our search. Now, I was pretty sure that this was all rigged just so that I could win. I was very excited to win whatever the grand prize was, but now I saw a new side of Mr. Wonka, one that desperately wanted something more than what he already had, and I was sure that "something" he wanted was family. The flashbacks about his father, how he seemed afraid to even talk about parents in general...that was it. Mr. Wonka likely wanted a family with him since he didn't seem to have one of his own, aside from the Oompa Loompas. And I was sure that meant...

"Charlie, aren't you going to look for the key with us?" Veruca's voice rang through my ears, quickly bringing me back to reality.

"Uh...sure," I replied, still lost in my thoughts about Mr. Wonka's strange behavior. I then realized that we had stopped in front of another door, which was labeled: "GUM TRAMPOLINE".

"Come on," Violet urged, pushing the round door open. "We don't have all day! Let's go!" I followed Veruca, Violet and Mike inside.

The floor consisted of a trampoline that was made from an enormous sheet of pink bubblegum. It was held in place by several long springs that connected them to the edge of a wooden path, which spanned the perimeter of the long, narrow room. Two teams of five Oompa Loompas stood on each side of the room, and they were playing what seemed like a game of tennis, but without the net. Instead of balls, they were batting wine gums back and forth using gum-based tennis racquets.

Five more Oompa Loompas were jumping on the gum trampoline between the two teams, like a game of "monkey in the middle". One of them succeeded in catching a wine gum in his mouth, and he bounced off of the trampoline and onto the path. To my amazement, even on the hard surface, the little man was jumping about ten feet into the air as if he was still on the trampoline.

"Thinking about how Mr. Wonka makes his candies," I said, "I'm assuming that the reason behind all of this is to give the wine gums some extra bounce."

"I'm gonna try this right now," Violet proclaimed as she stepped onto the floor. "They could be batting the key around, you never know."

"Shouldn't we just ask..." I began, but Violet turned and glared at me.

"Everything's 'ask, ask, ask' with you, it seems," she seethed. "Taking the time to ask them will only slow us down." Without saying another word, Violet jumped onto the trampoline. She vaulted herself about twelve feet in the air, flipping head over heels four times before she landed and bounced back up again.

"Let's go," Mike said, jumping onto the trampoline as well. I jumped next, and Veruca followed.

The trampoline was so springy that as soon as I landed on its surface, I was launched about eight feet into the air like a rocket. Violet was performing elaborate aerial maneuvers, and I even tried doing a backflip, but I landed on my back instead of my feet, only to be launched upwards yet again. Veruca was spinning horizontally in the air, and Mike jumped so high that his head nearly hit the ceiling. The fact that he was nine feet tall certainly didn't help.

"Do you see the key anywhere?" Veruca asked as she nearly flipped upside down in the air.

"No, I don't!" I exclaimed. "Not yet, anyway!" Suddenly, one of the Oompa Loompas sent a wine gum barreling towards me, and I caught it in my mouth. _Let's try this out_ , I thought.

I jumped off of the trampoline, and although the path was made of wood, I landed softly and jumped back up into the air again. It was as if I was still on the trampoline, and it was amazing. Even when I accidentally landed flat on my back, there was no pain. I simply bounced back up. Unfortunately, the effects wore off a few minutes later, and I was soon standing firmly on the ground.

"That was fun!" I exclaimed. "Let's do it again!"

"We need to carry on," Mike said. "Did you find it, Violet?"

"It's not in here," I heard Violet say as we exited the room. "We must keep looking. There's no time to waste."

We reached the next room about a minute later: "HOT ICE CUBES".

"If that's what I think it is," Mike said, "this should be very interesting."

"How on earth is that possible?" Violet questioned. "Ice is supposed to be cold, not hot."

"Let's find out," Mike said, winking at her as he opened the door.

A shallow tub that was about the size of an Olympic swimming pool took up nearly the entire room. The tub was completely filled with a clear liquid. An enormous press with hundreds of ice-cube-shaped molds was positioned directly above the tub.

"Now, we just have to hope that the key isn't submerged in that liquid," Mike said, "because even the slightest touch will cause a reaction."

"What kind of reaction?" I asked him.

"Well, you'll just have to wait and see," he replied.

I walked closer to the edge before scanning the tub of clear fluid.

"It's not here," I told Veruca, Violet, and Mike. "Let's go."

"But I want to watch what will happen!" Mike whined. "It's really cool!"

Violet lightly took Mike's hand. "Mike," she said softly, "we _really_ need to get a move on."

"Wait!" Veruca cried excitedly as an Oompa Loompa walked over to the pool, holding a long metal stick with a crystal at the tip. "Look!"

The Oompa Loompa tapped the crystal against the liquid in the tub, and it instantly began to freeze into ice. The ice radiated out towards the edges of the tub, and after that, something really unusual happened. The ice was getting warmer and warmer by the second, and I could feel the heat from several feet away.

As soon as the contents of the tub were completely frozen, the press lowered itself into the tub for a few seconds before it rose back up to its original position. The tub was now filled with perfectly-shaped ice cubes, except these ones were hot instead of cold.

"I think those cubes would be good for making hot drinks," I said. "They would make them hotter."

"Come on, guys, let's go," Violet urged. "The key isn't here."

The next room in the corridor displayed "SHAKESPEARE MINTS" in glowing green letters.

Mike put his hand on the vault-like door handle. "To enter, or not to enter? That is the question."

"Uh, definitely enter," Violet replied. "We must find that key sooner than later."

Mike pushed open the big, round door, and we entered a room where a spherical machine was constantly ejecting tiny mint candies. Most of them traveled on a conveyor belt towards the packaging department, but some of them were taken by a team of Oompa Loompas for testing. Each Oompa Loompa swallowed a mint, and five seconds later, they began reciting random passages from various plays.

"I don't think I see the key in here," Violet said, shrugging her shoulders. "Let's just get a move on. There are still a few more rooms to go."

The next door we reached was labeled: "MARSHMALLOW TOILET PAPER".

"Eww," Veruca groaned. "Why on earth would Mr. Wonka make toilet paper? That's just disgusting."

"Let's go and check it out," Violet suggested, pushing the door open.

Inside this room, a machine used a series of powerful rollers to squeeze clumps of marshmallows into a paper-thin sheet, which was then coated with a non-stick solution, cut with a blade, and it formed a roll as the sheet wound around a hard chocolate tube. A robotic arm carefully transferred each roll of marshmallow toilet paper to a conveyor belt that led to the packaging department.

"It's not in here either!" Mike exclaimed. "I can't believe it!"

"Listen," Violet said, "I know you're tired. I'm sure we all are."

"You can say _that_ again!" Veruca yelled. "I want to see Daddy right now!"

" _I want to see Daddy right now_ ," Mike mimicked. "Well, you're not seeing your _oh-so-precious_ Daddy any time soon. We need to find that oh-so-important key first so that we can get out of this freaking factory!" Veruca's eyes narrowed, and she looked like an angry pit bull that was going to attack any second.

"Shut up, TV boy!" she screamed. "Just freaking shut up! You're so bloody annoying! Same with you, Violet!"

It was Violet's turn to mock the Brit this time. " _You're so bloody annoying_ ," she said with a fake smile. "You're nothing but a spoiled brat who gets everything that she wants. I know I've said this before, but I can't say it enough! You're a freaking wimp, you know that? Huh?! Actually, I have an idea: why not ask your Daddy for a cute, little pet squirrel?" The two girls glared at each other for about fifteen seconds, circling around as if they were two sharks about to engage in a feeding frenzy.

"Don't you _dare_ mention those repulsive beasts in front of me!" Veruca screamed.

Violet put her hands on her hips. "Oh yeah? Well, squirrels are cute, you know."

"If you say so," Veruca snarled. "Blueberries are cute as well!"

"All right, sister, that's it!" Violet lashed out at the other girl, and I pulled Veruca back just before Violet could deliver a blow to her chest. Mike pulled Violet away as well, but the two girls still glared at each other with utmost hatred.

"Violet," I told her, "I thought you were the one who asked Veruca to forgive you. That attitude isn't going to get us anywhere."

"Whatever you say, loser," she growled. "Go back to the dump, will ya?"

"Don't say that about Charlie!" Veruca yelled. "If it weren't for him, I'd likely be dead!"

Violet took a deep breath and sighed. "Let's just go now. No more arguments. We're all tired, and we can't get any sleep until we finish our mission."

We came across three more doors, which were labeled: "HORNSWOGGLERS", "SNOZZWANGERS", and "WHANGDOODLES".

"Uh, weren't those the creatures from Loompaland?" Violet asked. "Why on earth would Mr. Wonka keep those in his factory?"

"Beats me," Mike said. "I think we should just move on, though, because they could easily kill us."

"But the key _could_ very well be in there," Violet insisted. "I say we should check it out just in case. I'd be more than happy to volunteer."

"And _I_ said that we should just move on!" Mike argued, pulling her away from the room which housed the hornswogglers. "It is not worth the risk." Violet whipped her head around and glared at him.

" _Fine_ ," Violet said with a voice as cold as ice. "Have it your way, TV boy. So much for no arguments!" Mike just shrugged in response.

We continued on, passing several locked doors until we reached an enormous, round door at the end of the corridor: "WONKAMOBILE, STOP # 22".

"I'm guessing this is another mode of transportation inside the factory," I said, pushing a button on the wall that caused the door to slide out of the way. "This place is enormous, after all." We all walked inside, and a few seconds later, the door slid shut behind us.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading the third and final part of this chapter. The story is nearing its end, so get ready!**

 **(In case you're wondering, hot ice is a real substance, and it is such a cool experiment to try out!)**

 **Update: I had to tell you that on this day (September 4), it's been exactly eleven whole years since I first saw this movie at one of my local t** **heaters! Time sure flew by fast! As for the story, I'm halfway done writing Chapter 21, and then it's the finale! Stay tuned!**


	23. Unexpected Surprises

Chapter 21 - Unexpected Surprises

 **Author's note: Wow. Just wow. This has been nearly four months in the making, and it was some of the most fun I've ever had with writing a story. There were a few moments when I nearly gave up and abandoned the story (shocking, I know), but I persevered, and now here I am with the second-last chapter! Without further ado, it's response time.**

 **VerucaBeyotch, you asked for more, so you'll get more! I tried to make the Wonkamobile a little more Burton-esque (since this story is based on the 2005 movie), so let me know how I did!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX and Tessa, I'm glad you both enjoyed the Gum Trampoline room, which was Squirrela's idea. As for the argument at the end of the chapter, that's pretty much what happens when you mix five tired kids along with Veruca's and Violet's intense rivalry! And yes, it's likely that there will be a sequel, but I'll wait until the very end to ask that question to my readers. Now, on with the story! :)**

The room that we had entered was so dark that I could not see anything, but once the lights switched on, what I saw in front of me was more surprising than everything else I had encountered in Willy Wonka's factory so far.

A strange-looking car was parked in front of us. It had three rows of seats. Two seats were at the very front of the vehicle, the driver's seat was in the middle, and two more were at the back of the vehicle. An enormous boiler was situated between the front row and the driver's seat, and I could hear some sort of liquid bubbling inside it. The boiler had several narrow tubes sticking out of it, and each tube ended in a flared, bell-like opening above each row of seats. The wheels of the car were bright-red, and they were connected to a track. Underneath each wheel, two smaller wheels hugged the side of each rail, and two more hugged the bottom of the rail, like on a roller coaster.

"Vell, ve meet again!" a voice sounded from nearby. I looked up, and I could not believe who was sitting in the driver's seat.

"Augustus!" Violet exclaimed. "How did you get here? And you're clean, too!"

"Zhe same vay as before," he replied. "I rode zhe Vonkamobile zhrough zhe Vonka Vash, and zhat cleaned all zhe fudge off of me! Come aboard!"

"Uh, I don't think so," Mike said in hesitation. "You know that I hate roller coasters."

"Oh, come on, wimp," Violet responded, and she grabbed the nine-foot-tall boy's hand and forcibly seated him in the back row. She climbed up and sat beside him.

"You as vell," Augustus said to Veruca and me. "Come on!"

"As long as this doesn't do anything to my outfit, I'll be fine," Veruca said.

"You'll be okay," I reassured her as we took our seats in the front row. In front of us, the tracks seemed to disappear into a dark tunnel, and I noticed a long metal strip that ran down the center of the track. "What is that?" I asked, pointing to it.

"Electromagnets," Mike responded from the back of the car. "Now I _really_ want off!"

"You're fine," I heard Violet say in an attempt to console him.

I watched as Augustus turned a crank, and a low hum began to fill the area.

"Are you ready?" Augustus asked us.

"No!" Mike cried just as five shoulder harnesses swung down over our shoulders and chests, tightly holding us in. "Let me off!"

"You'll be fine, Mike!" Violet reassured him. "Just hold on to the handles! It'll be safe!"

Beside me, Veruca's knuckles were white as she clutched onto the harness. She nervously glanced at me as an overhead TV monitor illuminated the area. On the screen, Mr. Wonka's violet eyes twinkled as he straightened his black top hat.

"Welcome! I see that you have discovered my Wonkamobile!" he announced. "Hold on tight, because it's gonna be a wild ride, complete with sharp turns, upside-down maneuvers, and sudden drops and stops, plus a few surprises along the way! Oh, and did I forget to mention that it runs on fizzy juice? Yes, Mike, those are magnets on the tracks, and I'm sure that you'd know of them as linear synchronous motors. They'll give the Wonkamobile a nice push forward and send you on your way! Now, kids, are you ready? You'd better be, 'cause here we go, ha ha!"

Immediately, the Wonkamobile shot forwards, pinning our heads against the headrests. I couldn't even scream because the acceleration took my breath away. In just three seconds, the wind rushed past us at over fifty miles per hour.

"Help me!" Mike screamed as the tracks began to curve upward, and the Wonkamobile surged through a loop. "I hate this ride!"

"This is terrific!" I exclaimed as the Wonkamobile careened around a few tight turns before rushing down a short straightaway. After a pair of corkscrews flipped us upside down two more times, the Wonkamobile suddenly slowed to a crawl.

"Thank goodness, it's over," Mike sighed. I looked at Veruca, who was hunched over, trying not to become sick.

"And guess what, you didn't die," Violet told Mike. "Good job."

"That was awesome," I said, but then I noticed something strange. We didn't seem to be anywhere close to the next stop. "Uh, sorry to tell you, but I think we still have some distance to go."

"Oh, great," Veruca groaned. "Now I _am_ gonna be sick!"

"Here it comes!" Augustus exclaimed.

"Here what comes?" Mike asked suspiciously. "If it's more of that coaster section, I'm done for!"

"No it's not," the German boy replied. "It's somezhing even better!"

The Wonkamobile slowly crept around a corner, and then I heard a strange bubbling sound.

"What's that noise?" Veruca asked.

"Uh oh," Mike said. "It seems like the boiler's going to overflow! This is not good!" I looked backwards, and sure enough, blobs of foam managed to seep underneath the lid of the boiler.

The next thing I knew, a massive blob of foam came spluttering from the pipes above our heads, and we were liberally covered from head to toe with the fizzy mixture in just seconds.

"Augustus, I hate you!" Veruca screamed, only to be silenced as another blob of foam went straight into her mouth.

"It's getting in my eyes!" Mike whined, and I heard Violet laughing maniacally in response. "SHUT UP, VIOLET!"

"My clothes are ruined!" Veruca complained as more foam rained down on everyone. "And so is my hair!"

"I love zhis part," Augustus said, obviously enjoying the experience of being drenched in foam. "Everyvone, look ahead!"

A roaring noise began to fill my ears, and then I saw it: a sheet of caramel was pouring directly over our path, and we were heading straight for it!

"Noooooo!" Veruca cried. "Now my outfit will really be ruined!"

"You'll be okay, relax," I said, taking her hand. "It'll be fine."

"No, it won't!" she whined. "The foam was bad enough!"

"Here we go!" Violet said. I could tell that she was relishing Veruca's misery.

"No!" Veruca cried. "Don't!"

We all instinctively ducked down, only to be showered by a downpour of warm, sticky, gooey caramel.

"Look what you've _done_ to me!" Veruca shrieked. The Wonkamobile was now covered in golden caramel, and so were we. "You're paying for my dry-cleaning, Mr. Wonka!"

Augustus was grinning behind me. "It's not over yet," he said as the tracks led us towards a strange, car-wash-like contraption. "Zhat's zhe Vonka Vash!"

A noise that sounded like an enormous door creaking on rusty hinges filled my ears as we passed some funny-looking brushes and nozzles, and in just seconds, we were completely cleaned and dried as if we had never been covered in foam and caramel in the first place.

"Thank goodness!" Veruca sighed, running her hands through her hair and clothes, which were now squeaky clean. "Is it over now?"

"Yes," Augustus replied, and a sign above us read: "STOP # 23". "It's been quite a journey, hasn't it?"

"Oh my god," Mike groaned as we all disembarked the Wonkamobile. "I don't wanna come back here EVER AGAIN!"

"Neither do I!" Veruca shouted. "At least now I won't have to tell Mr. Wonka to pay the cleaning bill!"

"That was the finest bath I've had in a long time!" I said. "I loved it!"

"Yippee for you, Mr. Nice Guy," Violet replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.

"I am definitely _not_ asking Daddy for a Wonkamobile," Veruca said. "Not after this! No way!"

"Guys, we must get moving," Violet commanded. "We still have a key to search for, remember?"

"Yes, we know," Mike groaned. "As long as it doesn't involve Wonkamobiles, roller coasters, or chocolate rapids, I'm ready to continue."

"Good," Violet responded, clasping her hands together. "Then let's hop to it!"

We began to walk down yet another corridor, but before I could say anything, I heard a dinging sound, which was followed by a pair of glass doors sliding open just off to my right.

"What the...?" Mike looked at the doors, his mouth agape in surprise and confusion. "The elevator's working again!"

"Yes," a nearby voice said. "It is!" A silhouette walked out of the elevator and stopped just a few feet in front of us.

Augustus gasped. "Mr. Vonka?!"

Mr. Wonka looked quite different from when I saw him on the tour. His top hat was gone, and he wore a pair of red pajamas with little golden W's embroidered onto the fabric, along with black slippers that cocooned his feet.

"Good morning, starshine," he said. "The earth says hello!"

"You said that yesterday at the beginning of the tour," Mike grumbled, rolling his eyes. "How did you know we were here?"

Mr. Wonka frowned. "Well, I can't really reveal my secrets just _yet_ now, can I? I hope you all enjoyed your self-guided tour of the factory. Your search was rather enjoyable to watch."

"You were WATCHING us?!" Mike spluttered in horror.

"Well, yeah, of course," the chocolatier responded before he let out a soft giggle. "For all this time, I sat in the main security room with a big bowl of popcorn, watching the live footage from the factory's security cameras. It was quite entertaining, lemme tell yeh. I also had lots of Eight-Till Latte coffee to keep me awake, although I was enjoying your conversations so much that I wouldn't have been tired anyway!"

"Okay, enough with the pleasantries, Wonka," Violet growled. "Where is that freaking key?"

"You want to know where the key is?" Mr. Wonka asked, his voice sounding very serious.

"Yes, we do!" Violet said angrily. "We've been here for far too long! It's way past midnight! I'm very tired, and I'm sure everyone else is, too!" Veruca, Mike, and Augustus all nodded in response.

Mr. Wonka's expression suddenly went completely blank, but his violet eyes were carefully gazing at each of us. There was something about his demeanor that just didn't seem right, as if he had other thoughts on his mind. Maybe he was having another flashback about his father. Maybe he was searching for the right words to say to us. Or maybe he was just trying to build up the suspense.

"Where is that key?" Mike suddenly snapped, bringing the chocolatier back to reality. "I want to know right now!"

Mr. Wonka slowly tilted his head to look down towards us, and the seconds passed by without him saying another word.

"My Daddy is waiting for me!" Veruca yelled. "Tell us RIGHT NOW, or else!"

"Now, now," Mr. Wonka finally spoke, holding a gloved finger to his nose to silence her. "I'll tell you right at this moment, okay? Just think back to the beginning of the tour."

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. Given Mr. Wonka's hint, where do you think the key would be? Tell me in the comments, and get ready for the finale! :D**

 **Update: Please bear with me as I am revising and editing some sections of the next (and final!) chapter. It should be** **published on Friday or Saturday, depending on how busy my schedule is from here on. Stay tuned!**


	24. The Search Concludes

Chapter 22 - The Search Concludes

 **Author's note: Hey everyone! This was supposed to be the finale of "Where All the Bad Nuts Go", but I made a last-minute decision to split this chapter into two parts due to its length. The true finale will be published on either Tuesday or Wednesday. Now, I shall respond to your reviews:**

 **VerucaBeyotch, I'm very glad that you enjoyed the Wonkamobile! I really wanted to include a roller coaster scene in the story since the very beginning, and I figured, why not apply that to the Wonkamobile? It suits Depp Wonka's factory very well, in my opinion. :)**

 **Sonny April, I guess it is fanon now, haha! However, I'm sure that even during the movie, Mike didn't look too pleased with the boat ride.**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, don't despair. There will still be one more update after this one! I'm glad you enjoyed the Wonkamobile too, and you'll find out about the key soon!**

 **Tessa, just keep reading and you'll find out.**

 **Turrislucidus, I'm very glad that you've been enjoying my story since the beginning. Remember that the Oompa Loompas in the Chocolate Room did say, "Augustus Gloop will not be harmed" in their song. I was thinking of including a chapter from Willy Wonka's POV as he watched the children on the security monitors, but I decided against it since he could just tell the kids what he was doing instead. I'm glad you enjoyed it. In regards to your review for chapter 21, I am a terrible lyricist in my opinion. I'm much better at writing stories than any sort of poetry (including song lyrics), and when I do write music, my songs are entirely instrumental. As for the key, you'll find out very soon!**

 **Squirrela, I quite enjoyed your response! I was indeed making a reference to the 1971 movie with the cleaning bill. Plus, it suits Veruca's character very well! You'll find out how I'll wrap this up very soon!**

 **Guest, the update has arrived. Now, on with the story!**

 _The beginning of the tour_ , I thought. _The beginning of the tour...that could only mean one thing if the doors to the Entrance Hall are still locked._

"The Oompa Loompa was right!" I exclaimed. When everyone else (except for Mr. Wonka) looked at me in confusion, I continued. "Remember when we were in the 'Willy or Won't He' room, and the Oompa Loompa we spoke to mentioned _The Wizard of Oz_? I said that in the movie, you shouldn't look any further than your own backyard." Willy smiled and nodded in response. "That means that the Chocolate Room is his backyard! If the key isn't there, then I don't know where else it might be. Let's go! There's no time to waste!"

"Good luck, everyone! Adieu!" Mr. Wonka said, waving to us as he re-entered the Great Glass Elevator. He pushed a button, the doors closed, and the elevator zoomed off to who knows where.

"Well," Violet sighed, "I'm sure that we've explored just about every room in the entire factory. For once, I'm with Charlie. Let's go back to the Chocolate Room."

"Great!" Augustus exclaimed. "I'll have my bedtime snack once I get zhere!" Violet crossed her arms and glared at him.

"You can eat all you want _after_ we find the key, Augustus," she said. The German boy sighed in response.

"Come on," I told everyone. "Let's boogie."

Veruca frowned at me. "Really? You're impersonating Mr. Wonka again?"

"If I was impersonating him, I didn't mean to do so," I replied.

"Charlie, you're not the only one," Mike interjected. "There's a certain gum-chewer here that called me a mumbler more than a few times!"

"Hey!" Violet exclaimed. "I was just playing around!"

"I zhink she has a crush on you, Mike," Augustus said, causing Violet to burst into giggles.

"Ah, it doesn't matter," Mike said, shrugging his shoulders. "I'm fine with that. Now, where could we go so that we don't have to take the Wonkamobile or the boat ever again?"

"I zhink ve should go zhrough zhere," Augustus replied, pointing to a smaller door near the Wonkamobile station entrance.

"No way," Mike said stubbornly. "I'm not going through any more maintenance corridors! My back is in enough pain already."

"You have to," Violet said. "You'll be fine. Just think about those movies where people crawl through the ventilation ducts. It's the same thing."

"Who's going first?" Augustus asked. After a few seconds of complete silence, he walked up to the door and opened it. "I suppose I'll lead zhe vay, zhen."

Violet grimaced at him as he started walking leisurely down the corridor. " _Augustus_ leading the way, who would have guessed?"

"I'm surprised that _you_ didn't go first, Violet," Mike said. "What's with the change of attitude here?" Violet merely shrugged in response as she followed Augustus into the corridor.

"Aren't you coming?" Violet asked us as she and Augustus walked further and further away.

"I suppose so," Mike muttered before gesturing to me and Veruca. "I'll go behind you guys."

"Got it," I replied as I entered the corridor. Veruca followed me while I ran to catch up with the others, and poor Mike had to crawl through the passageway on all fours. It didn't take long at all before we caught up with Augustus and Violet.

"Augustus, can you move faster, please?" Violet asked him.

"I'm vay too tired," he yawned. "I can't move much faster zhan I already am."

"Great," Violet moaned. "I should have gone first. This was a bad mistake."

"At least we're moving," I said, "so whether we're going fast or slow, we'll get there soon."

"That's easy for you to say," Mike said arrogantly. "I have to _crawl_ through here, and my back is killing me!"

"You've been through worse," Veruca told him.

Mike sighed. "I guess you're right. How much longer do we have to go, Gus?"

"I zhink ve're at zhe end!" Augustus said excitedly. "Zhere's a door over here!"

"Great," Violet said as Augustus opened another small door, which was labeled: "WONKA BARS". "Now let's just keep moving on. I have a feeling we've been here before, and that's a good thing this time."

The wonderful smell of chocolate filled my nose as we entered a room where a plethora of conveyor belts and machines were constantly churning out Wonka bars.

"This room," Veruca mumbled, "it seems familiar. I'm sure we've already been here."

"Come to think of it," I said to her, "this room does seem familiar."

Violet let out a cry of joy. "Yes, we _have_ been here before!" she exclaimed. "Not with Charlie and Veruca, of course, but with Mike and Augustus. See that door over there?" She was pointing at a door to the left that was labeled: "MAINTENANCE CORRIDOR # 3: TO OTHER CONFECTIONERY, RAW INGREDIENTS, AND SUPPLIES CORRIDOR".

"Yeah," Mike said, scowling at her. "You locked me in the Nerds room for nearly ten minutes. What's the big deal now?"

"I was hoping that Mike would end up in there," Veruca whispered to me, and we smirked at each other.

"Mike, don't you get it?!" Violet yelled in excitement. "Look at the door across from that one, and tell me what you see!" Mike turned his head to the right, as did Veruca, Augustus, and myself. An enormous set of steel double doors came into view, and the glowing label above the doors read: "MAINTENANCE CORRIDOR # 1: TO CHOCOLATE ROOM, RIVER ENTRANCE".

"Wait!" I exclaimed, pointing to the doors. "I think that this is the corridor Veruca and I used when we began our search. As far as I know, it's the only one that goes directly to the Chocolate Room without relying on other modes of transportation."

"We used it as well!" Violet cried out in triumph. "This is it!"

"How do you know for sure?" Mike asked skeptically.

"We went the same way as they did, remember?" Violet reminded him. "I'm absolutely sure that this is the right one. Let's go." She cartwheeled and somersaulted her way towards the doors, and we all followed closely behind. Once we reached the doors, Violet pulled them open to reveal an extremely long corridor. The floor and walls were made out of concrete, and the area was illuminated by a series of blue LED's on the ceiling.

"Yes! This is the one!" I said excitedly. "I'm certain it is!"

"Why couldn't all the maintenance corridors have a nice, high ceiling like this one?" Mike asked as we began marching down the corridor.

"Because the other ones are probably meant for the Oompa Loompas," Violet answered. "It's extremely likely that Mr. Wonka uses this corridor often. You should have figured that out yourself."

"Well, I'm much more comfortable in this one since I can actually walk," Mike said, "so that's all that matters. I can't believe that we're done with this stupid mission at long last. I could finally go home and get back to my PS2."

"We're technically not done _just yet_ ," Violet reminded him. "We still need to find the key."

"I think it's under one of the candy pavers near the door," I said. "There's one way to know for sure, though."

"I'm really tired," Veruca moaned before trying to suppress a yawn. "I just want to go home."

"We'll be done soon, don't worry," I reassured her. "Think about how far we've come, and how little we have to go."

For the next few minutes, none of us said a word. The only sounds in the corridor were those of our footsteps echoing off of every surface, until Violet broke the silence.

"We're here!" she exclaimed as we finally reached the end of the corridor. "Augustus, could you open the door?"

"I vill, yes," he replied as he pulled the door open. He held it open for the rest of us, and we stepped onto a narrow walkway beside the chocolate river. To my right, all I could see was the darkness of the tunnel, and to my left, I heard the thundering roar of a nine-story waterfall.

"Here we are," Mike announced as we emerged into the now-familiar Chocolate Room. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Mr. Wonka happily skipped across the meadow towards us.

"I see that you've arrived," Mr. Wonka said. "Just keep looking, that's all you gotta do! Go on now, go on, scoot!"

We all split up and walked in different directions. I was dead-set on finding the key near the Entrance Hall doors, Veruca began looking near the area where the waterfall poured into the chocolate river, Violet was searching up and down both of the riverbanks, Mike was inspecting each of the candy trees, and Augustus was on all fours, ripping up the mint grass and shoving it into his mouth like a lawn mower.

I was growing more and more anxious with every passing second as I approached the doors to the Entrance Hall. The candy pavers formed a large semicircular platform in front of the doors, and there were over three-hundred of them. Some of the pavers were made from various shades of chocolate, and others were made from multicolored rock candy. This was going to be a daunting task.

"How am I going to do this?" I whispered to myself. "There's so many of them! Well, if I spent all of this time walking and looking around the whole factory, then I should be able to do this without any problems."

I bent down and carefully dug my nails into the narrow crevices between each paver. Thankfully, the pavers weren't anchored down very tightly, and I lifted them out of the ground with minimal effort. They weren't too heavy, but I handled them carefully since they were as hard as concrete. I gently set each one aside and dug through the chocolate dirt that the pavers rested on, and when I didn't find anything, I carefully positioned them back into place.

"So, have you found the key yet?" Mr. Wonka asked me after about fifteen minutes had elapsed.

"Not yet, Mr. Wonka," I answered.

"Just keep looking, Charlie," he said encouragingly. "The others are still looking as well, except for the Gloop boy. He's tearing up my beautiful meadow instead of searching for the key, it seems. Don't worry, just keep at it." And with that, he walked away to talk with Augustus.

"Just keep looking," I mumbled to myself as I carefully lifted another paver out of the ground. "Just keep looking."

This task was proving to be much harder than I thought it would be. I tried to come up with a way to track my progress by starting from the outside and going inward until I would eventually reach the doors, but it proved to be futile when I realized that I was looking under pavers which I had already inspected. My arms were cramping, and my nails were starting to chip after raising and lowering the rock-hard pavers for what seemed like an eternity. I needed to come up with another plan.

"Mr. Wonka?" I asked him as he came to check on me for the second time. "Is there a better way for me to go about this?"

"Just look for something that might help you out," he replied. "And no, my cane cannot be used as a crowbar."

 _Wait, he mentioned a crowbar_ , I thought. _Could that possibly be a hint? If gardeners need to lift pavers, they don't use their fingers or their bare hands. They use other tools, like crowbars, shovels, or spades._

"That's it!" I exclaimed. "I need a spade!"

"Well, my dear boy," Mr. Wonka said with a bright smile, "this time, I will give you a direct hint. See that mine cart over there?" He pointed to a small mine cart in the corner of the room, which was parked on a short railway track. "Take a look and see what's inside."

"Thank you, Mr. Wonka," I said while nodding. He smiled at me before turning around and walking away. I stood up and stretched my arms and legs before making a beeline towards the mine cart.

The cart was piled high with large pieces of rock candy. I carefully dug through the heap with my hands, and then I noticed what looked like the handle of a spade. I carefully pulled it out so that I wouldn't cause any pieces of rock candy to fall out of the cart, and with the spade in my hands, I jogged back to the doors and resumed my task.

I used the spade to lift each of the remaining candy pavers from the ground with ease, and I carefully scooped out the chocolate dirt from under each one in hopes that the key would be there. Even after thirty more minutes had passed, there were still rows upon rows of pavers to look underneath. Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind: _I'm sure there's a phrase that says that something can be so close, and yet so far. This whole mission started out just because I didn't see anything in the keyhole, so maybe if I look under the paver that's directly below it, who knows?_

"Let's try this," I murmured, locating the paver that was right in front of the doors and below the keyhole. I wedged the spade underneath the paver and lifted it out...and suddenly, from underneath the paver...there was a glint of silver. I finally found it!

"Yes!" I cried in delight. I bent down and pulled the key out of the ground, but I quickly realized that it was not in the shape of the keyhole. It was a silver ring that was barely too big for any of my fingers. There were five human figures that were evenly spaced around the ring's circumference, and they all appeared to be holding hands in a circle. "Mr. Wonka," I shouted, "this doesn't look like it to me. I found this right by the doors, but it can't possibly fit in the keyhole."

Mr. Wonka rushed over to me with a huge grin on his face. "Charlie, my dear boy, that is _indeed_ the key that you've been searching for all along!"

"But it won't work," I said quietly. "There's no way that it could fit in there."

The chocolatier knelt down so that his violet eyes looked straight at me, and he gently placed his hands onto my shoulders.

"Look at me," he softly whispered. "Sometimes, a 'key' could also mean a clue for something. For example, on this ring, there are five figures. I invited five children to visit my factory. Their arms are linked, symbolizing teamwork. You kids, uh, at least tried to build teamwork skills during your search throughout the factory. Now, with that in mind, just think about what you should do next. Good luck."

I turned the ring over and over between my fingers, examining it from all angles. The silver was so smooth that I clearly saw my own reflection in it; a reflection of the curiosity, wonder, and bewilderment that I had experienced since the factory gates opened at ten o'clock yesterday. _If this ring represents teamwork,_ I thought, _then I should probably reunite the others._

I stood up and scanned the enormous room, and it wasn't long before I spotted Mike walking towards Violet, who was crouched down near a candy apple tree. I quickly ran to tell them the news.

"I found it," I announced, holding up the ring for them to see. "Mr. Wonka said that this ring is supposed to represent teamwork, so will you two join me, please? I need to reunite everyone in order for this to work."

"I guess you're not so much of a loser, after all," Violet said, smiling at me for the very first time. "Congratulations. If this truly is the solution, I'll join you. Mike?"

"I'm in as well," he said, nodding. "Augustus is just by the riverbank, so let's go see him."

Augustus was busy stuffing cream from a strange-looking flower into his mouth as we walked over to him.

"Hey, didn't you hear what Mr. Wonka told you not long ago?" Violet asked him, with a hint of anger in her voice. Augustus stopped eating, and he stared at us with a guilty look on his face.

"Sorry," he apologized, his voice muffled by a mouthful of cream. "Did you find it?"

"It's right here," I said, showing him the ring. "It's not an actual key, however. It's a clue. We need to team up again. Are you good with that?"

"Yes, I am," he replied. "I vill join you zhree."

"Great," I smiled. "Now, I just need to find out where Veruca might be."

"The last time I saw her," Mike said, "she was near the waterfall. Let's head in that direction."

A few minutes later, I found Veruca. She was crouched down on the ground, combing through a large bush with her fingers. I walked right up to her.

"Veruca," I said, grabbing her attention. She turned her head towards me and slowly got to her feet.

"Did you find it, Charlie?" she asked me. I nodded and showed her the ring. I was expecting her to congratulate me, but instead, she frowned in disappointment.

"A ring? I thought we were looking for a key for all this time," she said, completely unimpressed. "How could that possibly get us out of here?"

"Mr. Wonka said that this is a clue for something," I told her. "We need to team up again, and now that all five of us are here, we can try this out."

"Try what out?" Veruca questioned.

"You'll see," I replied, winking at her before addressing the others. "Let's go, everyone! To the doors!"

"Are you sure about this, Charlie?" Veruca asked me.

"I'm positive," I said with determination. "We must go now, because time is not on our side."

Five minutes later, we reached the double doors to the Entrance Hall.

"Okay," I began, "remember how Mr. Wonka said, 'Open the gates' yesterday, and the gates automatically opened?"

"Wait!" Mike exclaimed in delight. "That's it! To echo what Charlie had just said, the gates opened at Willy's command. In the movie _Aladdin and the King of Thieves_ , Aladdin said, 'Open sesame!' to get into the cave. In _The Wizard of Oz_ , one would click his or her heels together three times and say, 'There's no place like home!' to leave Oz. That should mean that these doors must open at one's command as well!"

"Let's try this out," I suggested. "On the count of three: one, two, three!"

"OPEN THE DOORS!" we all shouted. There was nothing but silence for several seconds, and the doors didn't move an inch.

"Well, that didn't work," Veruca said, shrugging her shoulders in disappointment.

"I have another idea," I said. "The five figures around the ring have their arms linked. Standing in a circle near the doors probably wouldn't work out, so we should line up side-by-side. Knowing that we have essentially come full circle here, we should line up in the same order as before, when we were at the factory gates. Do you remember who was where?"

"Violet was to my right," Mike said, "and I think Augustus was to her right."

"Yes," I said. "I remember Augustus and his mother standing to the left of my grandpa, and Veruca was beside me to the right. Let's see if it'll work this time."

We all lined up beside each other in front of the doors. I stood between Augustus and Veruca, and Violet and Mike stood to the German boy's left. I linked my outstretched arms with Veruca and Augustus.

"On the count of three!" Violet called out. "One, two, three!"

"OPEN THE DOORS!"

This time, it worked. The doors swung open by themselves to reveal the drab, gray walls of the Entrance Hall, but that wasn't all I saw.

 **Author's note: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! What do you think will happen next? Let me know, and get ready for the (true) finale! :)**

 **Update: Sorry for the delay, but the finale will be published tomorrow (Thursday). Stay tuned.**


	25. The Winner

Chapter 23 - The Winner

 **Author's note: Here it is, readers: the finale of "Where All the Bad Nuts Go"! Now, we mustn't dilly or dally, so I'll respond to your reviews right away!**

 **Sonny April, in regards to the boat ride, that is definitely true! You'll find out what the kids saw in the Entrance Hall shortly.**

 **VerucaBeyotch and Guest, you'll find out very soon!**

 **XXCandyLoverXX, thank you so much for enjoying my story. You were very supportive with your reviews, and I'm glad you took the time to read and review each chapter since the beginning. They meant so much to me. Don't worry, I will _not_ forget to mark it as Complete! Now, let's move on to the finale! :)**

 **(Note: partial credit goes to Turrislucidus for some of the song lyrics in this chapter.)**

"My son!"

"Charlie!"

"Veruca!"

"Zhere you are!"

"You did it, Vi!"

I barely had enough time to realize what was going on before I was nearly tackled by my grandpa.

"You did it, Charlie!" he congratulated, tightly wrapping his arms around me. "I'm so proud of you. I was waiting and waiting for you to find the key and figure out its true meaning."

"So you knew what was going on as well?" I asked him as he let go.

"Oh, yes I did," he replied. "We were eagerly watching you and the others on TV. You did a wonderful job, and you persevered so well when things got crazy."

I grinned at him. "Thank you, Grandpa Joe."

"Even though I wasn't with you during your search," he continued, "I really enjoyed watching you as you explored all of the different rooms. The factory sure has changed since I was last here as one of Willy Wonka's loyal employees."

"And you knew where the key, I mean ring, was all along?" I asked, and he nodded, his smile growing wider and wider.

"Yes," he answered. "I knew for a long time. Willy Wonka told us all about the mission, including what you were looking for, just after you and the others began your search. It was just a matter of watching you trying to find it. I was cheering for you the entire time!"

"You were?"

"Well, of course I was, Charlie! I knew you could do it, right from the beginning!"

"But how did you manage to stay awake for the entire night?" I inquired. "I mean, it must have been hard for you, since you always slept when you were in the bed at our house."

"I was fuelled by excitement, of course," Grandpa Joe replied. "You know how much I've been looking forward to revisiting the factory!"

"As much as I have," I said with a grin, and he tightly hugged me again for several more seconds. Just after he pulled away, Veruca walked up to us.

"Charlie, I'm sure I've said this a hundred times already," she said, "but I still can't thank you enough for saving me from the rubbish chute, and for making me realize how bad I truly was before the tour."

"Please don't put yourself down, Veruca," I told her. "Like I told you before, it was not your fault. Your parents raised you that way, so they're the ones who should take the blame."

"Exactly," Grandpa Joe replied, nodding. "When we watched you and your father on the news, I said to him, 'That man spoils his daughter, and no good can ever come from spoiling a child like that.' I'm glad to see that you have changed for the better, Veruca."

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking down at the ground. "But, what about all the meltdowns and arguments that were my fault? Surely I must..."

"Veruca, look at me," I whispered. She lifted her head up to face me, and I looked into her blue eyes before continuing. "That's just part of being a kid. Not everyone is expected to get along with each other. You, Veruca, are a good nut after all."

Just then, I began to hear the sounds of an orchestral fanfare off in the distance. We all turned and watched as an army of Oompa Loompas dressed in glittering silver outfits gathered along the riverbanks. The orchestra suddenly died down, replaced by a soft, flowing piano melody. A lone female Oompa Loompa began to sing.

 _One has done right, and so have four,_

 _You found the key, but wait, there's more._

 _We see you've learned how to be a team,_

 _At least we've thought that, or so it seems._

The orchestra began to swell, and then all of the Oompa Loompas in the room sang in unison.

 _Augustus Gloop, Augustus Gloop,_

 _The great, big greedy nincompoop._

 _You shed your greed, but failed to learn,_

 _On a frenemy, your back, never ever turn._

 _But as part of this sweet, sweet deal,_

 _You took another trip on the Wonkamobile._

 _Did you listen close, and listen hard,_

 _Little Violet Beauregarde?_

 _Starting fights, arguments, that's so wrong,_

 _You kept chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing,_

 _Chewing, chewing all day long!_

 _Chewing, chewing all day long,_

 _Chewing, chewing all day long,_

 _Chewing, chewing, chewing, chewing,_

 _Chewing, chewing all day long!_

 _Veruca Salt, the little brute,_

 _Was saved by Charlie from the garbage chute._

 _He taught you how to be humble and small,_

 _You're not a bad nut, after all._

 _Regarding little Mike Teavee,_

 _Who helped everyone find the key,_

 _Find the key,_

 _Still, we very much regret that we,_

 _Regret that we,_

 _Shall simply have to wait and see,_

 _And see, and see, and see,_

 _We very much regret that we shall simply have to see_

 _If he goes back to playing stupid games_

 _And if he does,_

 _It's such a shame._

 _But what about the one who found the key_

 _All by himself? We watched with glee_

 _As little Charlie found it by the door,_

 _Therefore he's in for something more!_

 _We're watching you all with eager eyes,_

 _To see who truly deserves the prize!_

 _And what is it? Oh, just you wait and see!_

The Oompa Loompas began to disperse as the song gradually faded away. I never noticed that Mr. Wonka was standing right beside me until he clapped his hands in applause.

"Bravo! Well done!" he exclaimed. "This time, I'm not just saying that to the Oompa Loompas. No, I'm also acknowledging you kids as well." He walked forward and turned around to look at us. He cleared his throat before he continued. "My dear children, I have a very special announcement to make. One of you five will be the winner of a special prize that is beyond anything you can ever imagine."

"I want to know what it is!" Mike blurted rudely.

"Now, don't get overexcited!" Mr. Wonka said. "Keep very calm. Now, I must announce the winner of the prize, and that honor goes to someone who has a kind, noble heart, is willing to be a leader, and who is willing to make certain sacrifices. Charlie Bucket, it's you." I gasped in surprise and excitement as Mr. Wonka beamed at me.

"Oh my gosh!" Grandpa Joe cried. "Way to go!"

"You deserved it, Charlie!" Veruca happily exclaimed. "I'd have been covered in rubbish if it weren't for you!" She tightly hugged me for a few seconds before running back to her father.

"Mr. Wonka?" I asked. "Could you please tell me what the prize is?"

"My dear boy," Mr. Wonka replied, "You have just won something very special. The most 'something' something of any something that's ever been. Charlie Bucket, I'm gonna give you my entire factory." The entire group let out a collective gasp.

"You must be joking!" Grandpa Joe exclaimed.

"No, really," Mr. Wonka replied, trying to stay calm. "I'm dead serious! I'm not a young man by any means, you see. Someday, I will be gone, and who could I trust to run the factory when I leave? No offense to the grown-ups here, but most of them just want to do things their own way, and that would really screw up my business. Therefore, I decided that I had to find a child, since they often have endless amounts of creative potential. I sent out five Golden Tickets to allow five children to visit my factory, and the one who was the least rotten at the end would be the winner, and that's you! So, Charlie, whaddya say? Are you ready to leave everything behind and come live with me at the factory?" I tried to speak, but no words came out until several seconds of complete silence had passed.

"Will..." I finally spoke. "O-of course! Yes, for sure! Will I get to bring my family with me?"

"Of course you can, my boy," Mr. Wonka enthusiastically replied. "Bring them all! They deserve the prize as well."

"But, what about the other children? Veruca, Mike, Aug..."

"Unfortunately, they must go home," he said. "Only one person can win the prize, and they have lost. That's just how things work out sometimes."

All of a sudden, I felt emptier than I've ever been in my entire life, as if I've never eaten for weeks on end. The other four children and I had spent all of this time together as a team, learning new things about not only each other, but ourselves as well. And now all of that vanished into thin air like that Wonka bar when it was sent by television. I had longed to visit the factory for many years. My dreams came true when I found the last Golden Ticket two days ago, and now they were smashed into tiny pieces because I would never see my new friends again. They were ejected from the competition, even though I felt they could deserve another chance.

"Mr. Wonka, I am very sorry, but I will turn down your offer," I apologized solemnly. "I will not give them up for anything. Not even for all the chocolate in the world." As soon as I said that, I noticed one single tear rolling down Veruca's cheek. "I will only accept on one condition: we must all share the prize. Everybody here has great potential within themselves. They just need to find it and use it."

Everyone gasped in wonder except for Mr. Wonka, who sprinted towards me and furiously shook my hand.

"Oh, my dear boy," he said excitedly, "you have won! You passed the test!"

"What test?" I asked him, confused.

Mr. Wonka smiled at me, revealing his perfect, white teeth. "Remember what I said before, Charlie? I said that I wanted someone who is willing to make certain sacrifices, and that's you. I wanted to test you to make sure that you weren't just being nice to impress me and everyone else, but to show such a level of leadership, honesty, and compassion that you were willing to give up the grand prize to help other people. I already decided that everybody should stay, because they all deserve a second chance. Congratulations, Charlie! You did it! Well done!"

Everyone jumped and cheered, and they completely surrounded me in a gigantic group hug. There was a twinkle in Mr. Wonka's violet eyes, and I could tell that he was feeling happier than he had ever been in his entire life.

"Now, everyone," Mr. Wonka said as everyone let go of me, "it's time to say goodbye, but only for now! Charlie and Joe, you can stay here with me. As for the rest of you, I'll see you back here in a little while!"

"Daddy," I heard Veruca say as everyone else proceeded to leave the factory via the Entrance Hall, "I want two chocolate chess boards. Oh, and one for Charlie, too."

~Four months later~

Since I moved in to the factory with my family, the place had undergone several major changes. The Oompa Loompas built an exact replica of our house in the Chocolate Room, although with a few subtle changes. The makeshift stairs that led to my room were replaced by a structurally-sound wooden spiral staircase. Everything in the house, from the TV to the dining room table, had been upgraded to the latest and greatest versions. The Wonka bar wrappers that were nailed to the wall of my old room were intact, although many, many more wrappers began to populate the wall since my first day of living in the factory.

Before the Salt, Gloop, Teavee, and Beauregarde families moved in, an enormous underground village was built that consisted of narrow streets and little shops, along with perfect replicas of their homes, right down to every last knickknack. Violet brought all of her trophies and medals to her newly-reconstructed house, Veruca kept every one of her pets, and Mike's parents moved the video games to the Television Chocolate Room. (The camera turned itself off whenever Mike entered the room to avoid repeating the disaster that had previously occurred.)

Augustus worked as a taste-tester in the factory's main taste-testing lab, and he was the first person to sample Mr. Wonka's latest candies before he allowed them to proceed to the production line. He got to eat all the food he wanted, although he also had to eat vegetables and fruit, along with meat and grains.

After some negotiating, the Salt family merged their business with Mr. Wonka's, and Rupert Salt's workers found jobs in the department where the nuts are packaged into boxes before heading off to the trucks that were parked inside the loading bays.

Mike and Violet worked together as a duo in the Inventing Room. Violet received new candy suggestions from people around the world, and after she picked the best ideas, she designed and created the prototypes for each candy. Mike was in charge of designing, building, and programming the machines that would manufacture these candies.

Mike, who had returned back to his normal height, still played video games and watched television in his spare time, but Violet also got him to be more physically active. Before long, he and Violet were engaging in full-fledged karate competitions with each other. When Violet was not with him (which was very rare), she took trips to each of the gum rooms. Speaking of gum, she was _still_ chewing her record-breaking piece, which was now seven months old.

As for me, I was the pupil of none other than Willy Wonka himself. He spent the majority of his time as my mentor, and I was on my way to becoming the new CEO of the Wonka Candy Company. My family was happier than they had ever been. My dad got a better job at the toothpaste factory, repairing the machine that had replaced him. For the first time in many, many years, my entire family ate full-sized, wholesome meals every day.

When I wasn't spending time with Mr. Wonka or my own family, I was with Veruca and her father, and I gained business skills from them as well. Of course, I also formed stronger friendships with Mike, Violet, and Augustus, along with their families, and I visited them often to see how they were doing.

Our lives were the best that they had ever been. Creativity, imagination, laughter, and even the occasional argument here and there became the new lifeblood of the chocolate factory that had always been a major part of my life. Even amongst all of the daily surprises, one thing was absolutely certain: life had never been sweeter.

 **Author's note: That's my story! Thanks for staying along for the ride, everyone. This story has been four months, two weeks, and one day in the making, and I truly did have a lot of fun while writing it. I can't even believe I made it to this point! Whew, now I can relax. Now, time for an important question: how would you guys feel about a sequel for this story? Please feel free to voice your opinions, and if you have any plot ideas in mind, shoot 'em my way! Don't be shy!**

 **I also thought I should tell you a bit about how this story came to be. Believe it or not, this was originally supposed to be a simple oneshot about Charlie failing to save Veruca, and he would have gone down the garbage chute along with her. That was before I started writing, however. Once I did begin writing the first chapter, I sort of had an idea in mind that they should check out some other areas of the factory (although XXCandyLoverXX's idea about the obstacle course was rather compelling, too). Of course, my ideas have evolved since then, and it was while writing the third chapter that I came up with a legitimate plot line. I had a lot of fun reading your suggestions and using my imagination to describe each of the rooms where the factory produces all of the different varieties of candies. Some of them were real-life Wonka candies. Others were from the book and both films, from your suggestions, and from my own pure imagination.**

 **As for what's coming next, I will be working on "Roy and the Chocolate Factory", and my next two stories are "Violet and the Chocolate Factory" and "War of the Wonkas", the latter of which will be about the 2005 and 1971 Wonkas criticizing each others' factories. Once I'm done with those, I'll get on with a possible sequel or start something else if any ideas come to my mind by that time. Thank you so much for reading, everyone, and I'll be back soon with the 2nd chapter of "Roy and the Chocolate Factory"! :D**

 **(Note: from this point on, all reviews will be responded to via Private Messaging. As for my guest reviewers, I can assure you that I took my time to read them.)**


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